If We Kiss
by Forgotten Sacrifice
Summary: AU, Sam Manson meets the boy of her dreams. He's smart, funny...but entirely offlimits. Her mother is engaged to his father while her best friend is in love with him! As their relationship grows stronger, she can't help but ask herself 'what if we kiss..'
1. Introductions

**((Author's Note: NOTE TO KIND READER! This is a VERY short chapter! NOT ALL OF THE CHAPTERS ARE GOING TO BE THIS SHORT...I hope. This is NOT THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD...but it's a beginning, and beginning stories are the HARDEST parts in writing...well...in my opinion anyways...so PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I PROMISE IT WILL GET BETTER! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!**

**Butch Hartman owns Danny Phantom and all related characters. HE HAS A COPYRIGHT SIGN! So don't take it... ...I can see you... **

**Thanks to Serenity The Fallen...though all you really did was say the beginning was good if I was desperate. huggles STF Wait...that sounded mean. It's a very gratitude...full thank-you.**

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW YOU KIND READER YOU!))**

His face was vaguely familiar; I was almost certain that I had seen him around school before. Doubt rang through my mind, though. If I had seen him, I would have been able to clearly recall his deep, crystal blue eyes that were somewhat masked by his raven black hair. He had a small amount of muscle built beneath his shirt—that I could easily see—but he couldn't have been older than fourteen, the same age I was. His sheepish grin was slightly humorous, as if someone had just told a joke about him and he were trying as hard as he could not to smile. I lightly smiled back, trying hard not to wince as my mother grasped my shoulder from nerves, I suspected.

His father was large and bulky, yet had laugh lines spread around his mouth. He had the same raven black hair as his son, yet specks of gray were visible to the naked eye. My silent guess was that he was in his late thirties or early forties. He had on a bright orange jumpsuit, a broad grin spread across his face as he stepped forward to shake my hand. His hand was larger than both of mine together. I gave him a polite smile before rubbing my throbbing hand.

"Erm..." I said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between us. I dug my hands deep into the pockets of my skirt, a habit that I had become accustomed to due to awkward times. My mother coughed.

"Samantha," My mother began as I started to take off my dark purple backpack. "Would you like to show Danny around the house?" I gave her a skeptical look before nodding and throwing my backpack into the corner.

"Sure..." I said slowly, raising an eyebrow as I looked from her to her new boyfriend, Jack. "Why not?"

Danny, who had been staring aimlessly at a bronze tapestry on the wall that had been given to us by my grandmother, stood at attention at the sound of his name. He gave me another sheepish smile and nodded, suddenly beside me with his hands dug deep into his jeans pocket. I eyed him for a moment, wondering if this was an "awkward habit" like mine. He raised an eyebrow at my unintentional stare. I shook my head, beckoning him to follow me out of the room Just as we turned to enter the hallway, I couldn't help but look back in time to see Jack peck my mother on the lips. Beside me, Danny chuckled. I couldn't help but do the same. His laughter was so contagious.

"Do you really want a tour?" I asked him as soon as we were out of earshot. "There's not much to see."

"What else is there to do then?" Danny asked as he ruffled his hair. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and stuffed my hands into my skirt pockets.

"Erm...I dunno." A loud shriek of laughter came from the living room.

"Seems to me my dad's got the hots for your mom," Danny mused as I leaned up against the hallway wall. I snickered.

"Pam's been _obsessing_ over your dad for weeks! I was wondering when I would get the chance to meet him." Danny laughed and sat on the ground. I slid down as well, careful to make sure that Pam and Jack wouldn't hear it through the thin walls. He brushed a strand of his dark hair out of his eye, flashing me a smile that I couldn't refuse not to send back, though it may not have been as dashing as his.

"So...Samantha--" He began.

"Sam."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Call me—call me Sam. Pam—I mean Mom—can't seem to accept the fact that I hate the name Samantha."

Danny chuckled and nodded. "Alright. _Sam_--" He emphasized on the name extremely hard. I slightly narrowed my eyes at him. "--how old are you?"

"I'm fourteen," I answered simply. "You?"

"Same."

I studied his face for a moment. It was slightly pale, yet, somehow he still looked like he had spent an extremely large amount of time in the sun. He wasn't looking right at me; I could see only his profile. Danny turned his head to me and raised an eyebrow once more.

"Do you go to Casper High?" I inquired. "You look sorta familiar..."

His reaction to my simple 'yes' or 'no' question was not what I had been expecting.

He pulled his eyebrows together, his expression hard and angry, taking me aback.

"No," He answered quietly, inclining his head to peek out the hallway to ensure that Pam and Jack would not come and investigate. He looked back to me, a slight glare hinting upon his face. "Why?"

"It's just that I thought I've seen you before is all," I explained. "So erm...where _do_ you come from, then?"

"Chicago," He stated, his eyebrows swiftly pulling apart. "I think your mom was on a business trip when she met my dad...right?"

His tone was not as harsh as it had been before. I sighed to myself, grateful for the change of mood.

"Yeah...I think so." I couldn't quite remember _when_ Pam had gone to Chicago to employ maturing chefs for a week-long session. I had a knack for suppressing memories that involved me staying with Grandma Ida Manson. He grinned.

"Yeah...Dad's a horrible cook you know. We always eat take-out or make peanut-butter sandwiches." I smirked.

"Well...there's a pro about our parents being together. Pam's awesome at cooking. You're dad...well apparently...I guess he's not so hot." Danny laughed.

We sat in silence for a moment. I drummed my fingers on the faded blue carpet. Danny, whistling softly to himself, occasionally would peek through the opening from the hallway to the living room. I could hear Pam and Jack talking quietly, Pam's exaggerated laughter seeping through to the hallway.

"Oh...I s'pose I outta give you that tour now, huh?" I said quietly as I stood up, just for the sake of the awkwardness to end. "Seems to me that you're gonna spend some time here." Danny smirked.

"Yep..." He said, somewhat reluctantly, and stood up as well. I led him down the narrow hallway, slightly angry with myself for deciding to give a tour of our run-down and messy house. Danny didn't seem to notice, though. He nodded politely as I idly opened the doors, biting my lip at the fear of the mess we would be greeted with.

We approached the last door—the door to my room.

"And...that's my room," I said lamely, pointing to my door. Danny chuckled.

"What? Am I not allowed to see it?" Danny prompted, his hand on the doorknob.

"No." I grabbed his arm. My room was the only place where I could keep things the way I wished—messy and disorganized. I wouldn't allow any human being to step foot into my sanctuary.

Danny grinned at the challenge. He dropped his hand, allowing my arm to fall to my side.

"All right," He said lamely, raising an eyebrow. "I won't go in there..." He murmured something to himself in such a low voice that I couldn't hear. I ignored that and sighed.

"So erm...yeah...we should probably go now." His break in the silence was slightly comforting. I nodded and we trotted back to the living room.

Jack was showing Pam something from his wallet. Pam squealed excitedly and giggled at Danny's entrance. Danny pointedly looked away from every one in the room. I smirked as I stood on the tips of my toes to see a four year old bushy, jet black haired boy with his shirt off, cowering behind his father beside a pool. I snickered, enabling Danny to send death glares my way.

"Finished, kids?" Pam asked. I nodded and chewed on the side of my cheek. She smiled at Danny and me.

"Well, we probably should leave, now, Pam." Jack's large voice was something I was sure I would not be able to get used to. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you said that--" Jack cut him off with a massive coughing fit.

"You alright, dear?" Pam asked him, lightly patting his back. Jack stood upright and nodded.

"Perfectly fine...let's go Danny." Out of the corner of my eye I could see Danny give me a slight smirk when he thought I wasn't looking.

"Bye, Danny!" Pam announced, waving her hand frantically as Danny departed out the front door. "It was nice meeting you!"

Jack pecked Pam on the lips, leaving Danny to stand awkwardly outside. We both made it a point to look away from the revolting scene.

"Bye Mrs. Manson!" Danny said. "See you later, Saman—I mean Sam."

I never liked saying good-byes. I merely gave a hasty wave and waited until the door closed behind them to retrieve my backpack from beside the door. Behind me, Pam heaved a deep sigh and sprawled herself on the couch. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and turned around to find her with a dazed expression sitting upon her face. I rolled my eyes and began to depart for my room.

"Isn't he dreamy?" My mother asked softly—so softly that I thought that she was speaking to herself. I stood stiff for a moment before turning around to face her.

"Who?"

Pam snorted.

"Who do you think, Samantha?" A lively grin was dancing on her face. "Jack..." She spoke his name as if she were in a trance; her voice was slurred...her eyes half closed.

"I dunno," I answered dully, tossing my backpack onto the couch. "He seems...fine." Pam sat up, patting the cushion of the torn couch beside her. I smiled at her awkwardly, deciding to play dumb and linger beside the opening to the hallway. She didn't seem to mind that much.

"Does Danny seem like a nice boy?" She asked conversationally.

"Yeah. Easygoing." I kept the fact that asking him simple questions were way out out of proportion to myself.

"Good..." Pam said lightly. "Good."

A sudden silence lapsed between us. I took this advantage to dart to the hallway, leaving a dazed Pam behind.

**((Author's Note: CURE ME FOR MY INAVAILABILITY TO MAKE FIRST CHAPPYS LONGER! hits self upside head Ow. Grrr...Okay so this is like...four pages by the time I'm done editing it should be five... cough I promise...no...I SWEAR that the next few chapters will be longer. gets on knees and clasps hands together PLEASE REVIEW KIND READER! kisses reader's foot I BEG OF YOU! This didn't turn out as well as I planned did I plan it at ALL...?. But PLEASE underlines, bolds, italisizes please keep reading! PLEASE review! I'll give you a cookie! OHMYGOSHYOUGETTHREECOOKIES! But if you don't review they turn poisonous! runs away**

**FS))**


	2. Dinner

**((Author's Note: Before I give out cookies (okay, they're STILL in the oven. ), I want to say THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! OH MY GOSH! sobs Okay. I also wanted to say WHEEDALEEHOO! I have FINALLY polished EVERY LAST DETAIL OF THIS STORY IN MY MIND! Okay, that's a lie, because I haven't really considered the chapter structure yet. cough But I had this dream last night, and it suddenly hit me. And...okay. **

**COOKIE TIME:(by the way, this order is just in by the way you reviewed...I mean like...from first to last. Yeah, that. I'm not choosing favorites! )**

**Passing4insane! You were the firstest reviewer...person! W00T! (huggles)  
Giggleaid: THANK YOU! ()()()  
****The Sole Survivor: Thankies! ()()()****  
BlueMyst19: Ooooh...I'm not gonna say anything about Jack and Danny. - But I will say that ALL of the characters will come in at one time or another. evil grin COOKIES! ()()()  
****Serenity The Fallen: -- Uhm...roar. But tankies fer the alert! Wait...what's STG? Maybe you meant STF...()()()****  
Katiesparks: Hehe...yeah I have a weird time imagining Jack and Pam together, too... ()()()****  
Dark Elf Angel: Lolz! Thanks! ()()()****  
Panic! I'm here! THANK YOU SO MUCH! You're 104? Wow...()()()  
****A Person: It's a VERY long and boring story, but I assure you this: I did NOT do that! If you care then you can e-mail me and I'll explain it to you. Thanks for not making it rude though (No, that's not sarcasm either)! Cookies! ()()()****  
Tha darkness 4m beyond tha grave: Aww I hope you feel better! Here...have a...looks at object in hand and waves magic wand Cosmic Brownie. Those always make me feel betters. If not here's an advil: ()...maybe you should take one and a half...() (****Read on dear reader. You get another cookie! Leave a review...kind reader...you get FOUR COOKIES! OMFGFOURCOOKIES! ()()()()  
If the cookies don't show up I'm really sorry. Just know that I baked them special for you!  
Okay...so this chappy has a whole lot of dialogue AND narration (more narration nearing the beginning of it)! I'm not going to advise you to skip over it. It might contain vital information for your everyday life snickers but you honestly don't have to read it. It's probably going to get boring, and you might just ex out of this window. BUT if you want a sense of what's going on, then reading it would be the best idea. Oh man, I feel so full of myself right now.  
I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM! BUTCH HARTMAN OWNS HIM! HE CREATED THE EMBLEM, THEREFORE HE CREATED DANNY PHANTOM (didja get it? Haha okay. Lame joke)! THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING IF YOU DID (your name is up there!) and thanks for reading! huggles you for reading Okay...CHAPTER TWO! Oh, and I did a little upgrading on the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle...but just a few minor details...oh and I stink at chapter titles so ignore the fact that the title is a pice of boo))  
**

**Chapter Two  
Dinner**

The following week Pam informed me that we were both invited to dinner with Danny and his father at Al's Steakhouse. Upon hearing the offer, I immediately declined. Free dinner or not, she couldn't make me step foot into that cow slaughtered graveyard.

"You're being ridiculous!" Pam sighed as she gave up trying to talk me into going with her. I bit my lip to prevent a smug expression from crawling across my face. What was ridiculous was trying to make an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian eat in a steakhouse. I grinned at the idiotic attempt to myself. Pam rolled her eyes and haughtily laughed at my constant refusals. I couldn't help but allow a smirk to spread across my mouth. Pam brushed a strand of her valiant orange hair from her eyes and tucked it safely behind her ear.

"Samantha, you are _going_ to dinner tonight, and that is _final_!" I rolled my eyes, grabbed the pillow from behind my head and flung it over my face so I could no longer see hers.

"What if I stay here and fend for myself while you and Jack go?" I asked, my words muffled from the pillow. I was nearly positive that if I could see Pam's expression at the moment, she would be fuming. I smiled to myself.

"It's a way to get to know each other, Samantha. Danny will be there, so it won't be that bad," She explained exasperatedly. I rolled my eyes.

"Jack's probably just like all the other guys you've dated, P—Mom." I wasn't allowed to call her Pam to her face. "I highly doubt he honestly cares about getting to know me and you with Danny. It's just some stupid set-up so you'll like him more. Are you seriously that blind?" I threw the pillow off of my face and it landed to the floor with a soft _thump_. Pam sat herself gingerly on the edge of my bed, her expression soft and soothing, understandable.

"Jack isn't like all of the other guys I've dated, honey." Pam sighed so low that I wasn't sure if she had done it or not. "He's...different."

"How would you know?" I debated. Pam chuckled and stood up.

"I just do. Now get out of those clothes." I gaped at her.

"I'm not going!" I bellowed. "I'll make me some Easy Mac or something. You leave." The dinner wasn't the only thing I wanted to dismiss her from...

Pam rolled her eyes and walked out of my room.

"In fifteen minutes Jack'll be here to pick us up. I suggest you get out of those clothes and put on nicer ones, or you'll be facing the next week in solitary confinement." I rolled my eyes. Oh, the horror.

Half an hour later I was in Mr. Fenton's Ghost Assault Vehicle, my school clothes upon my back, glowering out the window. Beside me, Danny had his hands folded uncomfortably in his lap. Pam and Mr. Fenton were laughing about something, but I had barred the conversation from my mind as best as I could. My shoulders were aching from the extensive amount of seat belts strapping me down in the seat. Apparently the only usage of this R.V in disguise was to hunt down Jack's obsession: ghosts.

I couldn't blame him, though. Five years ago I may have called him crazy, but now, with the unexpected, yet nearly daily visits from ghosts, I almost sided with him. The ghosts roamed Amity Park as if they controlled it, taking no mercy from any of the citizens. A small shudder ran up my spine; the memories of 'Ghost Drills' at school, the constant need to hide out in the basement for shelter if a massive amount of ecto-energy (as the news reporters called it) entered Amity Park, and the unavoidable encounters with the ghosts rapidly swarmed through my mind.

About three months ago, as I was walking to school with my friend Valerie Gray, a ghost had met up with us. Before I could even blink, Valerie vanished. I was alone with this hooded ghost. I had dropped my school books and ran as soon as I saw it begin to saunter toward me. With fear engulfing me, I had concentrated on not tripping, for that would have been just like me: to trip and fall during a crisis.

I had done what I could to block the memory from my mind. Bits and pieces occasionally would pop up in my head as Pam and I were taking turns peeking through a large hole in the basement that showed us the ground. For about a year, now, I had always thought of ghosts as evil creatures that deserved to be punished in any way. This was how Mr. Fenton's shrewd ideas seemed as if they might work. But there had always been one ghost that seemed to think otherwise.

When the disguised ghost had found me sprawled on the ground three months before now, after I had tripped, I was sure that I was doomed. I remember clenching my eyes shut, waiting, but when I opened them, another ghost was hovering over me, glaring at the hooded creature that had begun to flee. This new ghost had brilliant, snowy white hair, and neon, glowing green eyes, a black hazmat suit with silver gloves and boots. He looked down to me and gave me a half-hearted smile.

Danny coughed, jolting me out of my thoughts. I blinked and looked over at him. He seemed to be chewing the inside of his mouth, keeping his gaze onto the ground.

"How much longer?" Danny asked his father. "I'm starving." Pam giggled.

"Five minutes, probably," She answered for Jack. I rolled my eyes. Danny chuckled to himself, and I wondered if he had seen my annoyed expression...if he felt the same.

The atmosphere in the car lapsed into an uncomfortable silence until we arrived at the large, two story steakhouse. I glared at my mother's back for dragging me here, yet said nothing as I attempted to unbuckle the seat belts. I groaned to myself, wondering why we had to have so many on in the first place. My attempt was useless. There would be no way I could get out of this mess on my own.

"Need some help?"

Before I could look up, Danny was leaning inside of the R.V, towering over me. I grinned as his face lowered down so it was just inches apart from mine.

"Thanks," I said gratefully. Danny smiled and waved off to Jack and Pam.

"You guys go ahead. We'll catch up." He turned his attention back to unbuckling the seat belts, still smiling.

"Why does your dad have so much...?" I couldn't finish my question, seeing as I wasn't just talking about the seat belts, as Danny unbuckled the last seat belt.

"He says it's for safety, but I have a feeling he gets a little over excited. You should see our house." His breath smelled sweet and minty. I laughed a one exhale laugh and stepped out of the vehicle. Danny slammed the door shut and we began walking up to the steakhouse. My insides squirmed.

When we arrived at the table, Pam and Jack were already sipping on their beverages, Pam snorting from laughter. Danny and I exchanged revolted glances before sitting down.

"What took you two so long?" Pam asked, her cheeks rosy.

I could feel stares on my neck as I lowered my head to look at my skirt, but I had made a mental resolution to not speak to her for the remainder of the night, if not week.

"Sam got stuck," Danny explained. Jack laughed.

"Sorry, Sammy," He explained sympathetically. I winced at this newfound nickname. Sammy was something that my father had called me as a child, and I didn't even allow _him_ to do it anymore. "I forgot you need to buckle all of them to strap yourself in..." I nodded, still looking down.

The waiter came back to our table to ask us what we would like to drink.

"I'm not gonna drink anything," I informed him, looking up for once. He was a balding man with a large stomach. An expression of annoyance seemed to be engraved onto his face. The waiter rolled his eyes and looked at Danny.

"Coke...please," He said. The old man left us, and I could feel a steaming Pam from across the table glaring at me. I looked up and slightly narrowed my eyes back. It was bad enough that she had to make me come here, let alone try to make me eat anything that associated with this place.

Pam cleared her throat and took a sip of her cola. We lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. I drummed my fingers on the table to my favorite song, yet I was so off-beat that I wasn't even sure if I was thinking of the correct song. Pam reached across the table and folded both of her pearly white hands onto mine.

"Sammykinns...please. Stop that." I winced at the name that she had given me as a child. The name that she only used if she wanted me to do her a favor. Beside me, Danny chortled. I threw him a nasty glare that shut him up immediately. I yanked my hands from hers and placed them in my lap.

"So...Sammy," Jack began, now tearing his interest away from across the room to me. "You're fourteen, right?" I gave him a stiff nod. Apparently he took that as a 'yes' because he continued with the interrogations. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

I hadn't been prepared for a pop quiz during dinner. I shrugged.

"Stuff, I guess." Jack nodded, and I hoped that he had gotten the hint that I didn't want to discuss anything that involved me anymore.

Naturally he continued.

"What sort of stuff?" He was twirling the straw in his Root Beer, watching the bubbles rise to the top.

"I dunno." I shrugged.

"Do you do any after school activities?" I shook my head. "Wh--"

"Dad," Danny intervened. I gave him a gracious look, though I wasn't sure that he caught it. "Erm...maybe you should let _Sam_ enjoy her night...you know...without the questions." Jack studied his son's face for a moment before nodding.

"Right." He peered out the window, and Pam did the same. Danny sighed and gave me a crooked smile. I liked it. Half of his mouth was turned up, yet the other side still looked as if it were a grin that reached his eyes. I smiled back at him, trying to create a trademark smile for myself. I didn't think that I came to any success, other than making my face in a pinched expression.

The elderly waiter came back, this time with a pen and a pad of paper in his hands. He raised his eyebrows at my mother.

"Are you ready?" His voice was slurred; it was as if he had just drank one to many alcoholic beverages.

"Yes. I'll have the erm...chicken fried steak, please," Pam announced, handing the waiter her menu. He jotted down the order and turned to Jack.

"Same as her," Jack said in a loud, booming voice. The waiter nodded and looked at Danny.

"Erm...a burger, I guess." He shrugged, collected his father's menu and gave it to the waiter.

"You?" He asked me. I shook my head.

"I'm not eating any of this gar--"

"Samantha!" I did my best to restrain from standing up in a huff and leaving at my mother's outburst.

"I don't have an appetite," I said to him, not bothering to pick up the menu.

"I see," He muttered, picking up the menu himself. Pam rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair.

"What are you looking for, Jack?" Pam asked suddenly. So suddenly that I slightly jumped in my seat. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the corners of Danny's mouth twitch as he sipped his soda.

"Huh?" Jack had been staring out the window, occasionally looking around the room. At first I had thought that he was scoping the restaurant, but it shouldn't take that long to look around a boring place such as this. "Oh...nothing, honey." He pecked her on the cheek. Danny pretended to barf into his drink, causing me to restrain from laughter so much that I snorted, enabling both of us to howl with laughter now. Jack and Pam exchanged puzzled expressions at our sudden burst of laughter.

Fifteen minutes later the food arrived. I did my best to breathe through my mouth at only necessary times while I watched as they ate. Pam commented on Jack about how good the food was. He nodded and explained that it is normally not as good. I suppose he wasn't looking around at the vague decoration in Al's Steakhouse after all...

"Are you sure you're not hungry, Sammy?" Jack asked. I sighed. Was Sammy his new nickname for me, now? Did _anyone_ respect what I wished to be called?

"Yeah. Positive." I made sure that my voice was monotone, and heaved a quick, deep breath.

"It's really good," Pam offered. "You want a bite?"

I widened my eyes as she lifted up her chicken fried steak with her fork and scooted away from the table. I buckled my ankles together to stop myself from standing up.

"No!" I shouted. The talkative bustle in Al's slightly died down. "Just eat it and let it rot in your stomach. See if I care..."

Danny coughed.

I scooted closer to the table so a waiter could get through the narrow space. Pam's shoulders moved up and down, her eyes full of rage. She resembled a lion, ready to pounce to attack its prey.

The rest of the meal continued with silence. When the waiter came to give Jack the bill, he gave me a cautious glare before hastily exiting to the kitchen.

"That was a lovely meal, Jack. Thank you so much!" Pam announced once we reached the R.V. She stepped on the tips of her toes to give him a kiss. Danny and I made it a point to look away. Jack blushed and grinned at Pam.

"No problem..." He grunted, stuffing his large, bulky hand into his pocket. Mr. Fenton had the ring of the keys twirling on his finger in a matter of seconds. "Watch out." His command was harsh. Pam and I took a large step back (I almost fell on the blue Volvo beside us), Danny only taking about three inches worth.

The Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle suddenly had what looked like a green dome around it, which vanished as soon as Jack pressed a large orange button. I gasped.

"Invisible ghost shield," He announced proudly. "Put this baby in the other night. Works wonders doesn't it, Danny?"

"Erm...yeah...sure, I guess," Danny said with a slight shrug as he opened the R.V door.

I walked to the other side and flung myself into the car, leaning up against the silver buckles. I winced as the cold metal touched my lower back.

"Need any help, Sammy?" Jack asked me as I began to attempt to buckle myself up. How did I do this before? I shook my head and stared dumbly at the buckles. Danny's quiet and stifled laughter rang through my ears. I did my best to look angry and not turn my head, but a short smile was trying to escape and laugh along with him.

"Let me help you," Danny offered as he leaned across the seat to buckle me in.

"I'm perfectly capable of doing this, thanks," I replied shortly. "I've done it before."

Danny smirked.

"You think you can do it again?" Despite myself, I shook my head. He chuckled and leaned back against his seat. I looked down at my body. Amazingly, I was already strapped in. I gaped at him, but he was looking out the window, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, to see my surprise.

The remainder of the ride continued in silence. I had learned that Jack was a very maniacal driver: he would speed through the red lights and turn such violent turns that if it weren't for the many seat belts I would have plummeted to the ground. I hadn't remembered this from the ride _to_ Al's Steakhouse, but then again, I had been lost in thought.

When Jack pulled up into our driveway, he unlocked the doors and bid us good-bye, not bothering to get out. Pam looked slightly hurt at his haste to get us out of the vehicle, but I was relieved.

"See you soon!" Jack said happily, gunning the engine. Pam spread a fake smile across her face.

"Alright, dear! Be careful!" She slammed her door shut. I groaned at my unavailability to unbuckle myself, but Danny had already leaned over to help me out.

His hand lightly brushed against my exposed skin. It was warm and smooth, almost like a silky blanket after you take it out of the dryer. I looked up from his large hands and to his face. He was smiling at me, the crooked smile that he had given me during dinner, and undid the last buckle.

******((Author's Note: Erm...yes. This chapter was originally a lot longer, but those parts were so boring that I took it out. I think I had three extra pages worth of stuff that wasn't needed. **

******OMFG SAM WAS INTERROGATED IN A STEAKHOUSE! Sorry, I had to say that. I really hate second chapters the most (aside from first chapters >>). You've finally gotten the first one up, but you can't really leave it on a cliffhanger on the first chapter well you could, and you also have to make it so that the second chapter is better than the first and you're sort of rushed because you want to finish it within at least a week.**

******There's a lot about seat belts in here...I hate it when I use repetition too much. (bangs head against wall)**

******Sort of.**

******So...yes. I have started chapter two in SEVEN DIFFERENT WAYS! I finished three of those ways, but those were either too rushed more rushed than THIS ONE? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? or too boring, or too slow. This one seemed perfect, yet it was kind of hard to do...erm...well...yeah. Next chapter will be better...I hope. rolls eyes **

******PLEASE REVIEW! NO FLAMES! If you want to flame me then e-mail me, but please no flames on this thingy lolz. I'm sorry, but flames really hurt...sort of. Kind of... I'm confused. It's about to rain, too, so that's a big problem. I guess. And I'm hungry. Okay. **

******IF YOU REVIEW YOU GET FOUR COOKIES! OMFG! Heehee.**

******Next chapter should be up soon! Gosh, this chapter was so lame.**

******FS))**


	3. The Feeling

**((Author's Note:  
**

**:DDDDDD XDD You guys! Before I give out the cookies, I must say this:**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! I swear I was having a crappyfull day the day after I posted the second chapter, and I got reviews that made me feel so happy! I could feel my insides start squirming from overjoyousness...ess...(cough) well anywaysh...Gah! I just found out that 'If We Kiss' was put into a C2! (hugglesh Phantom Of A Rose) This chapter will change yer mind about that though...o-0**

**This chappeh is full of...(giggles) stuffs. I had this one planned out fer a while. I'm not too sure how I like it...It's kind of weird. Not gonna be your favorite chappy, that's fer sure...But I had weird dreams involving this chappy. Very...very weird dreams. But they worked out very well! Hehe. It's just an informative chapter that makes the plot more...plotty. **

**I hate beginning chapters. IGNROE THE BOO I SAY! IGNORE IT! Wait...no. DON'T! (bangs head against wall because she can't make up her mind) It's very important! Grrr... . **

**Okay. YOUR FOUR COOKIES YOU AWESOME REVIEWERS YOU! (huggles all reviewers because they are cool .)**

**BlueMyst19: . I'm keeping my mouf closed. (looks paranoid) ()()()() YAY! THANKIEAPOOSH! I luff him too! (huggles Danny and squeezes him)**

**Passing4insane: ()()()() I advise you to keep yer mouf shut! Teehee just joking. (looks around paranoid) I shan't say a word. -.-**

**Phantom Of A Rose: Awwwwwww! (blushes) Teehee. That comment always makes me smile! ()()()() a .**

**Tha Darkness 4rm beyond tha grave: whoa! That stinks! . I feel sorry for yeh! I give you cookies that I have magicified to make sure you don't get sick: ()()()()**

**Giggleaid: (huggles) ()()()()...(coughyesitiscough)**

**dPhantoMfreak: Awww! Thank you! ()()()()**

**  
OHMYGOSHNESS! I forgetted to add this: BUTCH HARTMAN OWNS DANNY PHANTOM!**

**Why are my author notes so long? Nobody reads them anyhoo...o-o Unless, you know, they want their cookie! Teehee. Enjoy! This isn't my best piece of work at the moment...O.o BUT IT WILL GET SO MUCH BETTER I PROMISE!**

**Sorry for the long wait. wasn't letting me upload this! >. But this should be okay... **

**Ignore the lame chapter title.))**

**Chapter Three**

**The Feeling**

Valerie hugged her books against her chest, grinning at me wickedly. I gave her a small smile back as I slammed my locker door shut. Her long black hair was tied up into a ponytail, bits of strand hairs billowing against her forehead. She leaned up against the wall of metal, slightly narrowing her eyes at the students passing by in the hallway. I sighed, chuckled, and rolled my eyes at her obscured insanity.

"Looking for someone?" I teased her, raising an eyebrow. Valerie giggled and shrugged. I smirked behind her back, folding my arms across my chest, causing my backpack strap fall down to my forearm.

"What's his last period, again?" She asked, turning around to face me. I grinned at her hidden curiosity.

"Who?" I was taunting her purposefully, just a bit.

"Sam!" Valerie groaned. Her turquoise eyes were filled with frustration and annoyance. A light chuckle gasped inside of my chest at my creation.

"English," I informed her idly. Valerie turned her head in the opposite direction. I lifted the strap on my backpack to sling over my right shoulder.

"Hello, ladies!"

Valerie spun around, almost in a blur, her eyes sparkling with delight at the student walking toward us.

"Hey, Tuck," I greeted the bespectacled technology geek. My eyes drifted from Valerie to Tucker.

"Hi, Tucker..." Valerie said softly, adverting her eyes to the floor. I furrowed my brow. Valerie had found out two weeks ago that Tucker had a crush on her, and I was hoping that her abnormal behavior was returning the feelings for him. A small twinge of regret for informing Valerie about Tucker's secret burned inside of me.

"It's finally Friday!" Tucker exclaimed as we walked out the doors of Casper High School. I vaguely nodded, shifting to the other side of Tucker so he could be in the middle. I dawdled through the thick crowd of students, hoping to leave Tucker and Valerie alone as planned. I stepped onto someone's shoe, receiving an angry glare from the senior. I glared back menacingly, though my attempt would have done no harm considering I was a mere freshman. She rolled her eyes and walked away as I looked to my side to find that Tucker and Valerie were gone. A light smile played across my lips as I pushed my way out of the crowd.

When Valerie and Tucker came into view, I noticed that Valerie had her hair out of the ponytail, something she did to hide her sweaty neck due to nerves. Purposefully, I lingered back, giving them their space. It seemed too good to be true that my two best friends had fallen for each other. Not that the thought of what might happen if they decided that they weren't right for each other hadn't stuck thought before. It didn't seem likely, to me, that they weren't destined for each other.

"Where's Sam?" I heard Tucker ask Valerie. Immediately I bent down to act as if I were lacing my boots. Shadows appeared on the pavement before me. I glanced up to find Valerie and Tucker towering over me. I grinned.

"Sorry, had to tie my shoe," I lied. Tucker nodded while Valerie gave me a hidden smile which I returned. I stood up, readjusted the strap on my backpack so I was more comfortable, and continued on.

"Do erm...you guys wanna come over?" I offered. "Pam's working late tonight so we can order a pizza I guess..."

"Cool," Tucker said as we approached my neighborhood. Valerie nodded in agreement.

We turned to the left and were surrounded by small houses of the exact same detail. I had lived here for the majority of my life, so I was used to the similarities. Tucker and Valerie, however, seemed to feel a bit awkward. Tucker lived in the higher quality houses of Amity Park, something that I never would nor cared to be able to do, while Valerie resided in an apartment building, yet she and her father were searching for a house now that her father got a promotion.

The only thing that tore my house away from all the others was the exaggerated use of lawn gnomes that led up the walkway to the front door. Normally these were the only greetings I got when walking home, but another item on the Manson property was there as well.

"Oh no," I muttered.

"What?" Valerie asked.

In the driveway sat a bulky R.V with various weapons sitting upon the roof. I grasped my backpack strap in annoyance as the three of us walked up my driveway.

"Sam!" I heard Pam call from inside the garage. "You're home already?" My stomach dropped. Why wasn't she at work?

"Hey, Mrs. Manson!" Valerie greeted my mother. I walked into the open garage, stepping over a tricycle that was embraced with nothing but dust. We didn't own a car, so the garage was mainly a storage unit for us. There were three fold up lawn chairs placed in the center of the garage along with a three-legged table that we got a few years ago when Pam's best girl friend Maddie made daily visits (now, however, they turned out to be weekly). I furrowed my brow at the sight of Pam scooting her chair away from the table to stand up, a large orange blur following in suit. The far left chair, however, remained immobile.

"I could ask you the same question," I noted to Pam as she and Jack lifted the halfway closed garage door so Tucker, Valerie, and I wouldn't have to bend down. Blush crept upon her cheeks, giving me a feeling of satisfaction.

"Jack called while I was at work and took me out to lunch," She explained as we trotted into the garage. I nodded once and leaned up against the wall, dropping my backpack onto the ground. "I decided to take the rest of the day off..."

"Doesn't he have a job?" I muttered myself through clenched teeth, but forced a smile to give to Jack and Pam.

"Right, well, we're gonna go inside and..." My voice trailed off as Pam directed her attention to Jack. I rolled my eyes at her fawns and bent down to retrieve my backpack.

"Have fun," She said distantly. I felt Valerie brush up against my shoulder, causing me to jump.

"Let's go," I said as Tucker casually strolled over to us. My eyes drifted from Pam to Danny, who was staring absently out of the garage. His hair was slightly ruffled from the wind today. Why wasn't he in school? I cleared my throat. "Erm...Danny?" I said softly. "You wanna come?" I raised my eyebrows as he turned to us and grinned.

"Sure," He replied, scooting out of his chair, almost gratefully, and joined the three of us.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I asked Danny as we stepped into the kitchen, placing my school things on the counter. Tucker and Valerie mimicked my actions. "They don't release you that early in Chicago, do they?" Danny's blank expression turned slightly guilty for a brief second, but when I blinked it returned to blank.

"Erm...actually Dad...he..." Danny shoved his hands into his jean pockets. The 'Awkward Habit' theory ran through my mind. "He picked me up early to um...have lunch with your mom and him..." Behind me, Valerie giggled at his struggle. I searched his face, trying to reveal a hidden lie. His hands were dug deeper into his pockets, though he stood at attention, clearly catching my motif. I hastily looked away from his sky blue eyes and stared ahead.

"Okay," I said, and began to open the kitchen door and directly guide them toward my room when a cold rush overwhelmed me. I hadn't been planning on allowing Tucker or Valerie into my room when I thought that Pam wasn't home. I wasn't going to break my no-human-allowed-in-my-room pact. I froze in my tracks, causing Danny to bump into me.

"Oof," He muttered in my ear. His honeysuckle breath wafted into my nose.

"Sorry," I said hastily.

"It's okay." He gave me his crooked smile, the one that brought out the real meaning behind the smile, and I felt my blood rush to my toes. I shook my head and smiled back, opening the door wide open for the four of us to pile through.

"D'you guys want to erm...watch...T.V or something?" I offered as the torn up sofa came into view.

"Sure..." Tucker said slowly, eying the back of Danny's head. I glanced at Valerie, who was doing the same.

"Oh erm...guys...this is Danny," I introduced, placing my hand on Danny's shoulder. "Danny...that's Val and Tuck...I mean Tuck and Val." Danny chuckled.

"Is he your--" Valerie began.

"Our _parents_ are dating," I said somewhat angrily. I wasn't too sure what she was thinking that Danny was, but I had a strong feeling that she thought _we_ were dating. Was she that blind?

"Pam's dating?" Valerie squealed. I rolled my eyes and plopped onto the couch. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I raised an eyebrow at her enthusiasm. Best friend or not, Valerie wasn't too interested in the men that Pam dated, if she dated at all. I kicked my feet onto the cushion beside me and rested my head on the arm of the couch, taking up the majority of the sofa. Lazily, I picked up a pillow from the ground and placed it behind my head. Danny sat down in the armchair beside the fireplace, Valerie beside my foot, leaving Tucker to the coffee table.

"Since when do you care?" I asked, closing my eyes. I heard Danny chuckle again. He seemed to do that a lot. I mentally shot him a glare at my annoyance.

"Uhm..."

"So, Danny," Tucker asked, saving Valerie from her struggle. "Where d'you live?"

"Chicago," Danny answered. I heard him shift uncomfortably in his chair just inches beside my head.

"Whoa..." Tucker said. I opened my eyes to find him readjusting his glasses.

"That's pretty far," Valerie mused. _''No duh, Val,''_ I thought to myself. "How long is the drive over here?"

Danny shrugged. "When Dad drives it's about..." He thought for a moment. "Half an hour." Valerie scoffed.

"Right," She said. "And Sam just ate a slab of meat." I threw the pillow behind my head at her, which she dodged. Danny laughed.

"No, I don't think he's joking, Val," I pointed out, propping onto my elbows. "His dad drives like a maniac."

"How do you know?" Tucker asked. I put my feet onto the ground, my boots making a loud _thump_ when they made contact with the floor.

"We went out to eat the other night," Danny answered. I nodded.

"Really?" Valerie asked. I scooted until my hip brushed against the arm of the couch before I patted the empty space between Valerie and me for Tucker to sit down. He accepted this offer graciously. "Where to?"

"Why do you care?" I hissed.

"Someone's cranky."

I glared at Valerie for her comment.

"So where did you go out?" Valerie asked Danny. Danny looked from me to Valerie, and back at me again. Our eyes met for a split second.

"This restaurant a few blocks away from that one Nasty Burger..."

It wouldn't have been considered a big deal if Tucker wanted to know (or cared, for that matter) where Jack took us for dinner. I would have told him the truth, that I, an ultra-Recyclo vegetarian, sat at a table in Al's Steakhouse for over an hour. But Valerie, however, continued to annoy me with constant jokes about my choice of food and my perspective upon right and wrong. If she knew that I stepped foot inside of a steakhouse, revealing a sign of weakness, I wouldn't get rid of her dim-witted cracks for years.

"Oh..." Valerie's voice became quiet, yet she never took her eyes off Danny. "So erm...what's Chicago like?"

"Erm..." Danny thought for a moment. "Big, I guess."

"Do you like Amity Park better?" Danny shrugged. A sudden feeling of deja vu flooded over me.

I felt Tucker squirm beside me as Valerie continued throwing questions out at Danny, laughing along at his witty jokes. I scoffed to myself. As if she actually understood. As if she actually _cared_. I began to pull on a loose string attached to the cushion, only making the large rip in the couch spread.

But, then again, why would she _ask_ the questions in the first place? I shook my head. It made no sense. My head darted from Danny to Valerie as questions were asked and answered, occasionally drifting to Tucker, who was staring at the blank television screen. I soon found out that Danny, not a straight A student, was rather intelligent, though he chose not to accept it. His life's ambition was to become an astronaut, and he was great at bowling (Valerie laughed at that remark and challenged him to a face-off). I learned that our choice of a favorite band was the same, as well as television. I felt slightly relieved that we had so much in common.

"So..." Valerie began, tracing circles on the pillow that I threw to her. "How's your girlfriend?" I furrowed my brow, as did Danny.

"What?" He frowned. "I don't...I never said..."

"I know, I know," Valerie explained. I couldn't help but notice the slyness in her tone. "I just thought..."

Danny's eyebrows etched together, his frown deepening. His cheeks had a light tint of pink creeping down from his ears.

"I don't...have a..." Whether it was the light or not, Valerie's face seemed to brighten. I felt a lump in my throat and began coughing, longing for it to wilt away. I failed, only causing the lump to grow.

"Oh." Valerie giggled and flashed Danny her gorgeous smile that not even Tucker received. The string popped off. I bit my tongue as Tucker squirmed in his position. His shoulder brushed against mine as I stood up.

"Who wants erm..." I cleared my throat. "I think we've got some...brownies Pam made the other night. You guys want some?"

"That'd be great!" Valerie exclaimed enthusiastically. I restrained from rolling my eyes.

"Cool. You need any help?" Danny offered, standing up out of his chair. I took deep notice that Tucker remained silent.

"No, no," I said, glancing at Valerie. I had to get her away from Danny. "Val can help." Danny sat back down in his seat as Valerie reluctantly stood up and departed with me to the kitchen.

I slammed the door behind me, fuming with rage, a menacing glare sure to be set upon my face as I faced a slightly smiling Valerie. She raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

I scoffed and flung open the cabinets, revealing a package of paper plates. I grabbed them and thrust them onto the counter, making a large booming noise throughout the kitchen. I could have sworn I heard Tucker squeal.

"You know, Val," I said through clenched teeth as I opened the utensil drawer and pulled out for forks. "If you're gonna flirt with a guy you just met, you could at least have the nerve to do it when the guy that you supposedly _like_ isn't around...or that your best _friend_ that doesn't _need_ to feel any more awkward around her mother's boyfriends _son_." Valerie frowned and contorted her expression into fake confusion. I crossed to the other side of the kitchen, my boots making the only sound in the kitchen for a moment.

"What are you talking--"

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about!" I stopped lifting the aluminum foil off of the brownies, turned around, and put on a high pitched voice. "'Oh, _Danny! _ Hehe, I just _love_ that shirt! _Wow!_ You're good at _bowling_? Hehe! How about you and I make a date and see who's better! Oh, _Danny_, I'm sorry. I thought that because you're so beautiful and perfect that you might have a girlfriend!"

"I never said that, Sam!" screeched Valerie. I rolled my eyes at her obliviousness. She reminded me of Jack.

"_You_ didn't have to! Your _face_ said it all."

"What are you getting at?" She handed me the plates. I grabbed them.

"What about Tuck?" I asked somewhat calmly, something I was unable to do since Valerie began flirting with Danny. "What about Tucker?"

"What about him?" She asked. I turned the brownie pan around to scrape off the remnants.

"I need a knife..." I muttered to myself. Valerie's eyes must have widened. Apparently she took my remark the wrong way.

"I thought you two were...you know..." I grasped the knife handle and took it back to the brownies.

"It wasn't...official or anything..." stated Valerie, backing into the refrigerator. I cut into the brownies, cringing once the knife made a scraping sound against the bottom of the pan. Valerie came closer to me. "Tuck...he's nice and all..." She leaned her back against the counter. "But Danny...he's...different." The knife slipped and my pointer finger made contact with the brownie bunch.

"And all this is based on, what, a half an hour relationship?" I stuck my brownie exposed finger into my mouth and wiped it on my black and green skirt.

"No...it's like...a feeling, really. We're into the same music...T.V...everything."

"_You only discussed one band and a few shows. How would you know?" _The thought ran through my mind, giving me a smug feeling.

"So are you and me, but I don't see you getting all googly-eyed over me." Valerie giggled and gave me a playful shove, sending the knife into the sink.

"Sorry. It's just...I wouldn't expect you to get what I'm talking about, Sam."

I fished the knife out of last night's macaroni and cheese's watery grave.

"Why not?" I rounded on her. Valerie shrugged as I turned on the faucet to rinse off the knife.

"Just...you know...you're not..." I shut the water off to silence her.

"Don't finish that. Don't say anything else that you don't know a thing about what you're talking about. Just...shut up, okay?"

Valerie clamped her mouth shut and watched in silence as I cut the rest of the brownies.

"Why are you so interested in this? I mean, when you and I were plotting ways to get me and Tuck...well...I mean you didn't seem so interested. Now, though..."

"That," I pronounced the word very clearly as I flopped a brownie onto a plate. "Is because it's _bound_ to happen. Destiny. _This_ is not only gross, but _wrong_. You flirting with a guy you _just met_ right under Tuck's _nose_. You really hurt him, you know?"

Valerie rolled her eyes.

"How do you know?"

"Because when he hasn't opened his mouth in the last thirty minutes you know something's wrong."

"Don't blame it on me!" Valerie narrowed her cerulean eyes at me into slits. "He was flirting back."

The knife dropped onto the floor with a loud _'Bang.' _

Danny's blushing face popped into my mind. If Valerie considered that flirting then I didn't want to think about what she was doing with Danny.

"No he wasn't," I argued softly.

Valerie smirked.

"Yes he was. And you know it. Apparently I'm not the only one who had that feeling."

I scowled.

"What _feeling_? Stupidity?"

"No," Valerie answered stiffly as she grabbed a plate and walked to the door. "The feeling you get when you know it's right, whatever it is. But you're just too..." She scanned me up and down for a moment. "You just wouldn't be able to feel something like this. At least not for a long time."

And with that she slammed the door, leaving me a lone in the kitchen. I rolled my eyes, bent down and threw the knife in the sink, and tried to manage to bring the three plates and forks, balancing two on one hand into the living room.. I was doing fine until the door obstacle obscured my talent. I set one plate down and turned the knob, only to see Valerie's head in my spot. I sighed with anger and picked up the last plate, wishing that I could fling it at her head.

"Sammy!"

The brownies splattered to the ground just as the kitchen door slammed shut. I spun around and found Jack and Pam, her orange hair pulled into braids that resembled Dorothy off of The Wizard of Oz. I bit the inside of my cheek, my face expressionless.

"Hmm?" I bent down to clean up the mess that Jack's annoying voice had scared me into doing.

"Don't worry about it, honey," Pam said, shooing me away from the duty. "I'll take care of it later." I raised an eyebrow. Pam was the queen of procrastinating. Her view of 'later' meant either 'never' or to have me to it.

"Did Danny tell you the news yet?" Jack asked me. My eyes immediately darted to Pam's usually ringless hand. I let out a soft sigh in relief. No ring.

"What news?" My eyes widened as something worse hit me. "Does it involve a new member of the family?" Pam and Jack chuckled.

"It involves a new member of Casper High..." Jack said, peering over my head and into the living room. "Danny, you didn't tell Sammy?" I cringed.

Danny's face popped up from the armchair, guilt spread across it. I couldn't resist but to give him my smug smile that I was so used to giving out. He bit his lip and walked into the kitchen, hands dug deep into his pockets, a feeble smile playing across his lips.

"Must of...slipped my mind, I guess."

So that's why he wasn't at school when we came home...

"Going to a new school just slipped your mind, eh?" I teased. Danny smiled grimly.

Jack approached behind Danny and gripped his shoulder, causing him to jump.

"Yep...Dan and I found a condo we're moving into for the time being..."

"_What_?" Valerie appeared in the doorway, Tucker behind her.

"Jeeze, Danny!" Pam said, clutching Jack's forearm. Jack released his grasp upon Danny and dropped his arm to his side. "Why didn't you tell them?"

And then, as if I had just felt the pain of the water after doing a belly flop, it hit me.

Danny and Jack were moving to Amity Park. Jack would be around more often. Pam would take more time off of work to spend with her beau. Danny would attend Casper High. Valerie would...

I broke through my thoughts and crossed my arms.

"Why are you two moving down here, anyway? There's nothing here that Chicago doesn't offer--"

"Except Axion Labs," Jack finished for me. I furrowed my brow. Valerie's father worked there in the R&D division. I had only seen it from a distant when we were walking to her home from school and she had to make a pit stop. I didn't know too much about it, though, to understand why Jack needed to move to Amity Park.

"Why is that--?" I began, but Valerie intervened.

"So when are you gonna show up at Casper, then?" She batted her eyelids. I clenched my jaw to keep it from falling down.

"_Right underneath adults' noses..."_ I thought to myself as Danny shrugged.

"A few days, most likely."

"Well, if you want, I can show you around when you get there. You know, before school. That way you won't get lost."

Danny's eyes slightly widened at the offer.

"Erm...sure. That'd be great!" He beamed. I rolled my eyes. Behind Valerie's mass of curly black hair, I watched as Tucker slumped away.

**((Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter pretty much stunk like a bag of rotten poo...Okay that's not a fair comparison. Poo smelled better than this chapter. But erm...it IS important...  
And is Sammy getting a little jealous? . Hmm...we'll just have to wait and see!  
Ooh...but what about Tuck? (erm...on the reviews it says Thruster I think. I hope I didn't say a Thruster...or something like that. I have a feeling it's just to make sure that people didn't say...well, you know...o0.)  
What's gonna happen? o-0 Hmm...  
The next chappy shall smell similar to perfume, yet not so much similar. Does that make sense?  
IF YOU REVIEW THEN YOU GET A COSMEEC BROWNIE PLUS FOUR COOKIES!  
Isn't that cooehl? Teehee.  
Maddie WAS mentioned here. You don't have to go back. I don't expect anyone to really realize it. It was like, one of those detail things, you know? Maddie is Pam's best friend...wow. This IS a HUGE AU! (gawks) Heh. Sorry, but that's just the way the boat floats. Wait...what? I never understood that.  
Thanks for reading! AND reviewing, if you want to, that is. But you see that box right down there? (points to box) That's my motivation. Every review pumps me up. (gets pumped up even more) And every time I pass out a cookie I get ecstatic. Teehee. Just, you know REVIEW PLEASE! I KNOW that this chapter was long. And over exaggerated. I'm very sorry about that. But, that's the way the boat floats. I love to say that. Teehee. Garsh...that last part really makes me mad to look at it. I can't believe that a chapter could suck this bad...**

**FS))**


	4. Attacked

**((Author's Note: This was originally chapter two, but, seeing as it would have been WAY too rushed, I decided to put two more chapters in between to heat things up. -.- Blame the cheese.**

**It was really good for a second chapter, I will say that. I'm not trying to be self-centered, but it was pretty good. Now, though, I had to take out all those good parts and replace them with icky, corny parts. Still, this does benefit. I had four pages typed out, all ready to go and be edited. Less the wait for you, less the labor for me. It all evens out. **

**GAH! You awesome reviewers! I love you guys! Thanks so much! (huggles all reviewers) Making my day again and again! I squeal (no joke) every time that YIM thing says I have mail from Here are your four cookies along with a cosmic brownie:**

**Phantom Of A Rose: Aww! No, because the chapter stunk, but I have vowed not to talk bad about my chapters anymore because it is not helping anything, teehee. ()()()() $$--COSMIC BROWNIE!**

**passing4insane: Gah! Did you read my mind? No, maybe great DO think alike. Thanks fer the awshum review! ()()()()$$ **

**The Lady PhantomMage Of Conte: Teehee. Thanks. ()()()()$$ **

**jessicajason: I am my own worst critic. And they (covers mouth with hands so what she says is muffled) Have some cookies and a cosmic brownie before I say anything I might regret: ()()()()$$ **

**midnight scare: Thanks! I hope that choo don't! ()()()()$$ **

**dAnnYsGiRl777: Thank you! ()()()()$$ **

**LandJ-SanD-Fan: Will I? Hmm...we'll just wait and see, won't we? ()()()()$$**

**look for the girl with the broken smile: Yes! I hoped I didn't make it TOO obvious, yet totally able to be seen if you read it...oh man. Wait. That made NO SENSE! ()()()()$$**

**Midnight (off of SODFF): You are the bestest reviewer/writer/personwhoreadsmystoriesbecauseapparentlyyouhavenolifeorsomethingbecausetheysuckandyouknowitlolz. I get all giddy and like...lightheaded after I read your reviews. That sounds kidna wrong, but it's true! You make it seem like they're good lolz. I would have baked you a billion cookies, but my oven would have probably given out on me, so you're stuck with this: ()()()()$$**

**If I don't upload for a while, it's because my computer is messing up (it's been having some difficulties lately) or is messed up as well (might just be my computer, but still). The only place I CAN post them is Sisters Of Darkness: Danny Phantom Fanfiction. (Check out my profile for more. I update there before I do on here. A day, a week, an hour before. Depending on my mood. Heh). So if I don't have a new chapter published within at least a week I will more than likely have it posted on SODFF. **

**I'm just going to stop talking about how I feel about the story because it takes up too much space. I'll keep my little thoughts to myself because I don't like wasting your time, heh.**

**Oh, and um, _Romeo And Juliet_ comes in here a bit, but it's kind of obvious that I don't own that or the quote I used. I got _that_ out of a book I read a few months ago. That is my opinion on what it means, please don't bash me if you think/know it means something else. (huggles theory) Sorry if that sounds mean.**

**Butch Hartman owns Danny Phantom...-.-  
**

**Okay sorry. Can I just add that this is totally rushed? I just did. Darn it. I broke my vow. Okay, the vow shall restart...NOW!))**

**Chapter Four  
Attacked  
**

"Mrs. Manson!"

I jerked my head up, my vision slightly obscured from my involuntary nap. I rubbed my eyes fiercely trying to get the sleep out of them. Mr. Lancer, his hands placed firmly upon his hips, was staring straight at me, a slight hint of a glare easily readable. I pursed my lips together and leaned back in my chair, pulling on a strand of hair that was plastered to my face and tucked it behind my ear. I intertwined my fingers together and gave Mr. Lancer a feeble smile.

"I know that the concept of _Romeo and Juliet_ is enough to put anyone to sleep," He explained sarcastically, placing a copy of the book on his desk. "But I would appreciate it if you would try to focus on the subject."

I restrained from rolling my eyes and briefly nodded. Mr. Lancer eyed me for a moment before returning to the lesson. He cleared his throat and picked up the copy of _Romeo and Juliet_, flipping to a certain page. I stared down at the desk, trying to comprehend what the inscriptions of students who sat here before me wrote.

"Now who can tell me what Friar meant in Act II, scene VI when he said 'These violent delights have violent ends. And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, which as they kiss consume?'" Mr. Lancer's eyes swept over the heads of the classroom, lingering on mine for a brief moment before sighing. "Anyone?" He pursed his lips together and crossed his arms.

"_Romeo and Juliet_ was about forbidden love. Every...touch shouldn't have happened...each kiss made their relationship both deadlier _and_ stronger. It was dangerous for them to be together." The voice sounded too familiar. I snapped my head to the open doorway, and saw a raven haired boy smiling at a gawking Mr. Lancer. Mr. Lancer closed his mouth and nodded, his eyebrows forming a thin line.

"Tha—that's right," Mr. Lancer agreed, still recovering from the shock.

"I erm...hope that this is second period English..." he said, his grip on his book bag tightening.

Mr. Lancer studied his flawless face for a moment before nodding. "Ah...yes! And...and you must be the new student...Mr. Fenton, right?"

"Yes, sir." Danny nodded his head. Mr. Lancer nodded as well.

"You don't look familiar. Are you new?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you for joining us from...?" Mr. Lancer inquired Danny.

"Chicago," I muttered to myself. If my eyes hadn't deceived me, I would have sworn that Danny's eyes flickered to mine. Danny stepped inside the classroom, a slight grin sitting upon his face.

"Chicago," He informed Mr. Lancer, who nodded.

"Ah..." Mr. Lancer sighed. "Wonderful Chicago. Well, Mr. Fenton. You can take a seat right there beside...Mrs. Gray—would you raise your hand please?—and we'll continue with the lesson, shall we?" Danny nodded and walked to the far end of the classroom.

My eyes lingered on the back of his head until he slightly inclined his head and shifted his body position; I was almost fully positive that he had flashed a smile my way this time. I smiled back, but he had already turned around.

The rest of the lesson passed in a blur. My eyes occasionally shifted to the back of Danny's head. I could see Valerie eying Danny, a peculiar expression sitting upon her face. My pencil snapped as I recalled that expression from a few evenings ago when she met Danny. The sound echoed throughout the quiet room, many heads turning their attention from Mr. Lancer's never-ending, monotone speech about the higher qualities of _Romeo And Juliet_. I kept my eyes fixed upon the clock above the chalkboard, mentally ordering them to turn away.

I watched with disgust as Valerie continuously flirted with Danny, keeping my eyes on his expression. Little bits of pink would frequently appear on his cheeks. I bit my lip. Apparently she didn't care about how this would affect me. Some best friend...

When the bell rang, indicating to go to third period, I hastily gathered up my things and bolted out the door, receiving a stern look from Mr. Lancer as I departed.

"Sam!" I spun around to find Valerie beaming at me as she sped up her pace to walk beside me.

"Why'd you take off so fast?" She asked. I shrugged and readjusted the books in my arms so they wouldn't fall.

"Just wanted to get out of there, I guess." Valerie scoffed.

"You sure it isn't because you're jealous?" My English book crashed to the ground.

"Excuse me?" I asked angrily, bending down to puck up my textbook. "Why would I be _jealous_ of you? _You_, the one who obviously doesn't care about how other people _feel_ so long as hurting others is for _your_ benefit?" Valerie's narrowed eyes tried to seem angry, yet I could tell that she was satisfied and yet oblivious at the same time.

"Sam, get _over_ yourself! Pam isn't gonna keep this guy for long. The relationship will be through in a few weeks if not days. You and I both know that she hasn't been able to keep a man longer than two months." I gaped at her. I wasn't too fond of Pam, but what she had just said made me feel as if she had just stabbed me with a knife right into my back. I shook my head, my glare showing her how angry and disgusted I was. She slightly flinched.

"Shut up," I muttered to her, swinging my backpack off of my back and stuffing my books into it. I had trouble zipping it up, yet I finally managed to arrange all of the books to fit in my magenta backpack to where I could barely zip it up. "I can talk about Pam like that because I've lived with her for fourteen years. You can't because you only know stuff about her secondhand."

"You're so hypocritical, Sam!" Valerie pointed out as I stood up. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever." Valerie bid me a bitter good-bye as she departed down C Hall to go to math; I continued down the hall to head to History, one of my least favorite subjects to attend to. I readjusted my book bag so it would feel more comfortable on my shoulder, only to find my books sprawled on the floor at my feet.

I groaned and plopped on the ground, examining my now ripped back pack.

"_Probably from over-stuffing it for the past four years..._" I thought to myself as I gathered up my books. I could hear the snickers of students as they passed by me, examining my bad luck.

"You...dropped this."

His voice startled me; I hadn't been expecting anyone to offer to help, let alone _him_. His grin was lively and sincere as he handed me my Biology book and broken book bag.

"Oh...thanks..." I tucked the book and bag under my arm.

"Do you need any help with those? I'll help you take some to your locker...First day students apparently get to be tardy to classes," Danny asked casually. I shook my head. I had almost forgotten that Danny would have been starting school at Casper High this week, my anger at Valerie (still puzzled by her talk about feelings) consuming most of my time. I was known to hold a grudge.

"Nah, it's okay." He raised an eyebrow, but I ignored his silent questioning. "Thanks, though. I can probably manage until lunch."

Danny chuckled. I waited for him to stand up, yet he remained to squat.

"So, how are you liking Casper so far?" I asked to be polite. H hall wasn't that far away.

"It's a whole lot better than my old school." He threw me a grin.

"It's only the end of second period."

"Yeah, but the people here are...nice." My grin faded. Was he talking about Valerie? Had they met up before school and she gave him that promised tour?

"You know, Sam," Danny said softly. I looked up from the ground to observe his face and find out if he had actually just spoke. I made sure that my face remained blank as he gave me the crooked smile, making my blood rush to my toes once more; my head felt lightheaded. Why did he have that affect on me? I shook that thought out of my mind. Maybe it was just some sort of smile that swept anyone off of their feet; not just me.

"Yeah?" But what Danny was going to say was muted by the tardy bell. Had it been four minutes already?

"Shoot," I muttered to myself as we stood up. "I'd better go before I get into more trouble than I already am. I don't get first-day privileges like you do." He laughed.

"Yeah. I'll see you later, then." He examined my English book and grabbed it from my overloaded stack of books. "I'll hold onto this for you."

I opened my mouth in protest but grinned at the unnecessary politeness.

"Thanks. Erm...I gotta run. Talk to you later...Danny..."

I reluctantly left his side and hurried to H hall, angry yet pleased at having my books dropped at the worst possible time. When I arrived at the classroom, I did my best to act as if I were invisible to reach my seat. I had no such luck, though, considering I still hadn't recovered from having the experience of the hallway (my conversation with both Valerie and Danny made me flustered), and I tripped, causing my books to end up flying all over the classroom. Giggles and whoops rang in my ears from the floor. Mrs. Grenfier, my elderly history teacher with a very short temper, cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow at me. I gave her a sheepish smile and stood up, brushing myself off. I glanced down at my Biology book and kicked it under the nearest desk.

"May I ask what you were doing, Mrs. Manson?" She asked me, folding her bony arms across her chest. I frowned and shrugged.

"I was just--"

"Late," She intervened angrily, steering me toward my desk. "I'll let it slide this time, but don't let it happen again, understand?"

I was shocked. Mrs. Grenfier _never_ allowed anyone to be late whether she played favorites with them or not. I wondered which category I fell it at times.

"Yes, ma'am," I said, still startled, gathered all of my books aside from my Biology one, and sat down in my seat. Mrs. Grenfier returned to teaching her lesson.

"What took you so long?" The boy in the seat beside me asked. I looked over to find a solemn faced Tucker.

Apparently he hadn't gotten over Valerie, if he ever would. I have him a half-hearted smile and extended my foot out to stomp my boot onto my Biology book from the seat in front of me. Dash Baxter, one of the dumbest yet athletic students in school, turned around and glared at me.

"Stop playin' footsies, Manson," The blond haired quarterback accused.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm trying to get my book from under your chair. Do you think that you can manage getting it for me without being rude?" I asked through clenched teeth. Dash rolled his eyes and retrieved my book.

"Thanks," I said bitterly as he thrust it onto my desk.

"So?" Tucker pressed on.

"My book bag fell apart on me," I informed him idly.

"Oh," He said. "I saw you talking to...never mind."

I cast him a sympathetic smile.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'm more mad at her than I've ever been before."

"Why?" Tucker whispered as Mrs. Grenfier walked past us. "What happened this time?"

"Nothing, we...just...she doesn't respect my boundaries is all."

Tucker snickered. "I didn't know you had boundaries..." Tucker muttered to himself. I rolled my eyes.

"So...Danny came here today," I informed him absently, yet the thought made me excited.

Tucker nodded.

"Yeah. He had first period with me." I watched as Mrs. Grenfier passed our row of desks again, still talking.

"You can't be mad at him just because--"

"I never said I was mad at him. Just because Valerie..." His voice drifted off and remained silent, turning his head to the chalkboard. I heaved him a sympathetic sigh and smiled. He ignored it and tapped his pencil on his desk, the _tap tap_ to a certain beat that sounded too familiar.

"Now," Mrs. Grenfier announced loudly, causing me to jump. "The French Rev--" But her words were drowned out by the sound of a loud and continuous beeping from the hallway. All remained quiet until realization .

The Casper High School's Ghost Alarm.

Gasps echoed throughout the classroom, a shriek from the other side. Mrs. Grenfier clamped her mouth shut and darted as fast as her bony legs could carry her to the door to peer out of it and bolted it shut, turning around to face the class with a pale face. Despite my fear, I scoffed. As if a locked door could keep a ghost out of the classroom.

"Everybody--" Mrs. Grenfier began but a loud _BOOM_ entered the classroom, muting her words.

I could feel Tucker shaking beside me, though my eyes were clenched together so I couldn't be sure if it was him or me. I opened one eye to find a snow white haired boy burst into the room. He had his arms crossed over his face, grunting in pain. I bit my lip as he was flung against the wall. I knew I should have scampered out of my seat and headed for the closest exit like all of the other students, but I was paralyzed with fear, unable to do any movement but blink.

The wall that Tucker and I were closest to began to tremble before collapsing into a heap of rubble, a large ghost with weaponry plastered all over his torso and legs, a lively grin dancing across his face, appeared out of thin air. I opened both eyes and gasped as he raised a bulky arm, a gun looking weapon now pointed at the ghost boy. My eyes darted to him, but he had already disappeared. The weaponed ghost raised an eyebrow, baffled at the ghost boy's absence.

It all happened very fast, then.

The Amity Phantom appeared behind the large ghost and threw him against the floor. The weaponed ghost kicked the ghost boy off of him, causing him to land on a row of desks in front of the classroom, making the desks to crash to the floor. Shards of wood flew my way, so I threw myself to the ground. I glanced up, looking for any trace of Tucker, but he had disappeared. I was alone, on the ground, arms thrown over my head as if I were in a tornado instead of a ghost attack, with the two ghosts in the room.

"What do you want?" The younger ghost asked. The fighting seemed to have ceased, my pulse very slowly seemed to calm.

"I have a mission to complete," the large ghost stated, blasting an ecto-blast at the Amity Phantom who barely missed it. I could feel the heat of the blast on my face as it blew up desks just yards away. 'Phantom's' eyes drifted from the blast to my face, and his neon green eyes widened.

"Does this mission involve trying to blast me to pieces in any way, Skulker?" He asked, inching closer to me so I would be obscured by the larger ghost.

"No." Skulker chuckled.

"Then what is it?" The Amity Ghost asked through clenched teeth.

"_I need to LEAVE! MOVE, Sam!_" I ordered to myself in my head."_Just run through the hole in the wall and get outside—anything! Don't stay here!_" But my mental orders were futile.

"As if I would tell _you_, you pathetic whelp," Skulker said as he tossed what looked like a grenade at 'Phantom.' He pushed me closer to the window, away from the grenade, yet I screamed as Skulker disappeared right before it exploded.

"Sam? Please...please wake up. Come on...please wake up..."

My head ached. My shoulders were stiff and it hurt to breathe. I groaned as I opened my eyes, only to clench them back together as the painful sunlight streamed through my eyelids.

"Are you okay?" A honeysuckle scent wafted through my nostrils. I knew that voice... I grunted in response to his answer.

"Please...open your eyes..."

I reluctantly obeyed and found myself propped up against a tree in the park and stifled a gasp. Did I just imagine that voice...the scent?

The ghost boy was crouching beside me, his gloved hand brushing my bangs out of my face. He sighed in relief and let his hand drop to the ground. I sat upright, gazing out at the empty park, baffled at where I was.

"Wha--?"

"You...tripped on your way out of the school and..." The white haired boy drifted off, shaking his head. I knew he was lying the instant I saw his expression. "Are you okay? I think you might have a concussion..." I rested my head against the tree bark, lifting an arm to touch my head. I couldn't feel a bump, and I could remember every detail very clearly. If I did have a concussion, it might have been very small.

My headache seemed to die down, yet the surging pain through my body was still lively.

"Yeah...but..." I scanned the empty park once more and groaned. "What time is it?"

"I dunno..." The ghost boy said and shrugged. "Maybe one o'clock...one-thirty..."

My eyes widened. How long had I been unconscious?

"Pam's gonna murder me..." I groaned. The ghost boy seemed to be amused by my situation and chuckled lightly to himself.

"You'll be fine, trust me," He assured. "You want me to take you home?"

I wanted to decline, seeing as Pam would freak if I showed up early for school escorted by a ghost known by the town to be evil. I had known otherwise from our last encounter that he was pure good. I tried to shake my head, but my neck was too sore. Maybe luck would be mine today and Pam would have gone to work today instead of taking the day off with Jack...

"I guess..." The ghost boy effortlessly scooped me up bridal style and took off. He would shift me in his arms occasionally, rubbing his hands against mine. I couldn't help but notice that they were warmer than I was used to, especially seeing as he was a ghost.

The experience of flying was revolting. I clenched my eyes shut, now scared out of my mind that maybe the citizens of Amity Park were correct that 'Inviso-Bill' was in fact evil. I gripped the sanity part of my brain that proved them wrong. He saved my life _twice_ now; he couldn't be evil. My stomach quenched as he dove down and back up again, my hands, cupped around his neck, were shaking violently as if I were convulsing.

Eventually I calmed down when I opened my eyes to find that we were flying past Casper High, where I was positive that all the students were assembled in the auditorium for a 'mandatory study session' until the parents arrived to pick up their children at the end of school. I recalled all of those times, covering my head with my face as Tucker and Valerie tried to calm me down. Each time a ghost attacked during school I had to be dragged out. It seemed to me that there was something about them...hypnotizing, maybe, that seemed to make me immobile. I sighed as I watched firetrucks pull away from the school, realizing that the only damage done was just a broken wall. I was a scaredy cat. The ghost boy turned to the direction of my neighborhood.

I was confused. Did I tell him where I lived? My head ached. Maybe I did...yet I was sure that we hadn't said anything while up in the air. I hesitantly let one hand gripped around his neck go and brushed a strand of my hair from my face, only to discover that this was a mistake. His uptight grip upon me loosened, and it scared me. Was he about to let me go? He turned into my neighborhood, only to stop in mid-air.

"How do you know where I live?" I asked quietly. My voice was cracked from the fear of being up so high. The ghost boy hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I...erm..." He cleared his throat. "Made sure...that one ghost attack...I...made sure that you...got home safe." His answer came out as more of a question, but maybe I was just being paranoid.

"Oh..." I said, slightly flattered by the fact that somebody cared enough to make sure that I arrived at home safely _and_ that he remembered an event that happened three months ago. "I see."

The Amity Ghost gave me a brief smile before scanning the rooftops of houses.

"Which one is yours?" I chuckled and pointed to one whose lawn was overgrown with leaves and gnomes. He nodded and set me down gingerly on the sidewalk just feet away from the front door. I stood there for a moment to regain my balance. The flying had given me a whooping sensation in my head. When I turned around to thank him, the phantom had vanished.

Pam wasn't home, thankfully. When I arrived at the front door I searched for my house key that I normally kept in my pocket, but it was gone. My skirt had rips and holes in it, and a small hole had produced in my pocket. Angrily I bent down to retrieve one of the spare keys kept under the empty flower pot. My legs throbbed with pain as I stood back up and walked inside of the house, plopped onto the couch and closed my eyes, too lazy and weak to even think about attempting to walk to my room. The scene in H hall played in my mind over and over.

The large ghost that was called Skulker (I could have sworn I saw his face before) bursting through the wall, the scamper of students unlocking the door to the hallway, many running out of the large gaping hole in the wall, and me, paralyzed with fear, too stupid and awestruck to move. The fighting of the ghost boy and Skulker, and the grenade going off, causing everything fading to black...

"Shh! Be quiet! Samantha is sleeping!"

"Oh, right, sorry!" I shifted in my position on the couch. Two familiar voices were filtering through from the kitchen. I recognized one of them immediately as Pam's shushing a voice that I hadn't heard in quite sometime. Despite my weakness, I sat up bolt right and leaned forward to peer into the open kitchen. Pam smacked her forehead at my appearance.

"Hi, sweetie!" She said with a bright smile. I kept my face blank until another figure emerged from behind the row of cabinets.

"Pam, do you have any _real_ plates?" I grinned and scampered off the couch, but slowed down. My legs were still sore, and my unintended nap on the couch hadn't helped my back or neck.

"Jeez, Maddie," I said, leaning up against the kitchen's door's frame. "You've been away for a month and you forget all about Pam's salary."

Maddie bumped into the recycling bin beside the trash can and beamed at me, her orange-red hair dangling just below her chin. A reproachful look glinted behind her large blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sam!" Maddie said, throwing her arms around me. I winced at both the sudden rush of pain and human contact. I couldn't remember the last time I had allowed someone to hug me without forcibly pushing them away the second their skin touched mine. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," I said against her chest. Maddie seemed to realize my restraint to pull away and released me. I breathed in a sigh of relief and massaged my shoulder. "What brings _you_ here?" I asked, throwing a look to Pam, who turned her back on me to chop the carrots that were a part of dinner.

"I was in the neighborhood..." Maddie said, now examining me as if I were one of her experiments. Maddie was a scientist, though what she specified in was a mystery to me. She kept so many things to herself. I wasn't sure if her daughter, Jazz, knew what she was up to.

"You haven't changed a bit, Sam."

I looked down at my basic, though now ripped up, attire: black tank top and plaid skirt, purple tights, and, to top off the dark theme, large combat boots that I had to work for three months to pay for. I gave her a sheepish grin.

"It's only been a few weeks..." I muttered.

Pam jerked her head up from the carrots and fast walked to the door. I gave Maddie a puzzled glance. She shrugged. The pain was lifting now, and all I longed to do was lie in my bed and force the unwanted events of today out of my mind.

"How was school, Sammykins?" Pam asked me. My stomach dropped. Did she know? Usually when a ghost attacked Casper High the school waited until the area was 100 free of ghosts before releasing the students; and we were rarely let out of school before three-thirty when this happened.

"Erm...you know...same old, same old...why do you ask?"

"Because Jack called." I gulped. What did Danny tell him?

"He said Danny had his first day at Casper High." The tension filled in my lungs began to ooze out.

"Oh...yeah. He—he's in my English class." Pam nodded and dumped the chopped up carrots into a bowl.

"He said he had a great first day..." Pam said with a smile. I shifted my weight from one boot to the other.

"I'd better go to my room now...loads of...homework...to attend to..." I groaned to myself as I watched Pam absently nod while rinsing off the carrots. My school books were probably toast by now...along with everyone else's in the class... .

"Sam!" Maddie called as I walked out of the kitchen, holding the door open. I spun around. "Don't make plans for tomorrow!"

"Why not?" I dug my hands into the pockets of my skirt.

"Pam's boyfriend is taking us all out to eat tomorrow night."

"_Again_!" I shrieked angrily, furrowing my brow in exasperation. I could faintly hear Pam mutter to Maddie about what a burden I could. I didn't care, though. I was fully aware that my beliefs angered Pam more than intended (an added bonus for me).

"Yes, Samantha, _again_. Be thankful that he invited you after the way you behaved the last time." A smirk ran across my face as an idea popped into my mind. "Where are we going?" Maddie asked Pam casually. "Sherley's Gardens. They. Serve. Vegeh. Tear. Ian. Things. There." She pronounced each syllable loud and precisely as if I had hearing problems, glaring at me. "And you are _going_ to eat and _not_. Cause. A. Scene!" My smirk disappeared.

"Don't I always?" I asked. The corners of Maddie's mouth twitched. Apparently Pam had told her about the last dinner 'fiasco' as Pam liked to call it.

"Go do your homework," Pam ordered bitterly.

I kept the ghost attack to myself, sure that Maddie would analyze each bit of useless information I would give. The last time that I announced a ghost attacked Casper High she interrogated me for endless hours, breaking down a two minute story.

I obeyed my mother and walked out of the kitchen, my spirits now high. Although I was bruised and cut, the pain seemed to have evaporated as I turned into the hallway, a deviant grin upon my face.

******((Author's Note: Heh, I tried to make this fluffy, but instead it turned out weird and horrible. And rushed. ****This is sort of confusing since I rushed on some parts and was really detailed on others. So to clear it up for you: Sam had a fight with Val, there was a ghost attack, Sam got caught in a grenade thingy, Danny Phantom saved her and flew her home, then Maddie comes into the story and you can kind of guess everything that is going to happen next.****And uhm...I dunno what CHS does with the kids when there's a ghost attack. I just assume that they put the kids in the auditorium for a study hall like thing and wait until all is clear to leave. I honestly don't know.****Okay, okay! I broke my promise! Sue me, why don't you? I PROMISE I won't critic myself on the next chapter no matter HOW bad it is! Please don't flame this chapter. I'm aware that it is suckish and rushed and really weird, so before you say 'wtf why didn't Sam just LEAVE?' I would like to add that she has a huge fear of ghosts IN THIS STORY ONLY and she was too paralyzed with fear. I don't want to sound mean, and I know I do, but I can't help it.   
DO NOT FLAME ME ON THIS CHAPTER! I BEG OF YOU! I KNOW IT STUNK! I AM AWARE OF THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO POINT IT OUT TO ME!****Man, I sound mean. . I HATE it when I sound mean! . ****Ah, well, you were stuck with another long chappy, eh?****_  
Chapter Five:_****_The next chapter is full of...rage...confessions...and...CHERRY TOMATOES? _**

******So I went into town today and I was deciding about what to do with If We Kiss when this story in DANNY'S point of view popped into mind! Too egotistical, I know, but it made me squeal. I dunno, just something I thought would be kinda cute. Should I do it? -.- No? Gah, okay. I'll keep the first chapter I wrote in the car to myself heh.****Chapter Five: Cherry Tomatoes (FINALLY a chapter title that doesn't give anything away!) Amazingly enough, that was a one-shot idea of mine. Hehe.****Please leave a kind review so you can get FIVE COOKIES! And a cosmic brownie...(shifty eyes) maybe. Teehee.**

******EDIT: I may be unavailable to update within the next five days or so. One of my family members died today, but I will come back if I don't update within five days or more with plenty of material better than this stinky chapter. **

******FS))**


	5. Cherry Tomatoes

**((Author's Note: ZOMFGO! You guys gave me a big head. I'm not gonna put down this chapter. I won't. I REFUSE to!**

**Gawrsh, guys! (huggles all of the reviewers) I got nine (ten if you count SoDFF) reviews in less than TWO hours for chapter four! TWO HOURS! (is shocked) **

**All in all _If We Kiss _got ELEVEN reviews in ONE DAY (or something close like that)! THE LAST CHAPTER GOT ELEVEN REVIEWS! (is oober shocked)**

**Teehee. Get ready for a...surprising (?) chapter? Fluffy? -.- I shan't say. **

**Thanks for all of the sympathy! Y'all seriously don't know how much better that made me feel!**

**Look for the girl with the broken smile: GAH! You shall see, my pretty! (evil Maleficent laugh) ()()()()() $$ Thanks!**

**KittyKiChi: Thanks! ()()()()()$$**

**knowledge In The Hollow Noggin: (x3) Thanks! You get TRIPLE the cookies since you reviewed on THREE chapters! ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()$$$$$$ Aww, no one's offered to share their cookies wif me. I feel oober loved! Thanks for the awesome reviews! 'Specially the last one! Heh, I feel so happy now! **

**Passing4insane: ()()()()() $$ Milk? Uhm...lemme see if I can conduct that! (waves magic wand stick thingy) Here ya go! And DANNY acting DEVIANT towards SAM? Why...that would be flirting! Val is evil! (gets out pitchfork) Oh, crud, I'm writing this story...Jeez...I need a hobby. ;**

**Phantom Of A Rose: OMFG ME TOO! o0...you'll KILL me? Well then, I shall haunt you until you've no where to run but erm...UNDER THE BED WHERE MY COMPUTER NINJA SHALL...FEED YOU TO THE EVIL MUFFIN OF DOOOM! (evil maniacal laughter) (cough) ()()()()()$$ You gets an extra cosmic brownie just so you won't kill meh. $$ (backs away slowly)**

**dAnnYsGiRl777: Thankies! ()()()()()$$**

**jessicajason: Thanks! You think so? (thinks for a moment) I'll keep that in mind. ()()()()() $$**

**SummersRage: Thanks! ()()()()()$$ You've been to Chicago? I've ALWAYS wanted to go there! **

**Midnight Scare: D'aww! Thanks! ()()()()()$$**

**Haha! I finally got a good chapter that no one shall know what comes! I am so happy! (dances)**

**Chapter Five  
Cherry Tomatoes**

I shifted uncomfortably in the wooden chair, scooting up closer to the high table. Though I kept my head bent over to examine the menu, I could feel Pam sending me death warnings with her eyes. Sherley's Garden was coated with white décor. The walls looked as if they were cloud on a sunny summer day. The hostess had a plastered grin to her face, as if she were constantly happy. I despised this place the second that I stepped foot in it.

Pam hadn't lied about what they served. Most of the menu consisted of vegetarian meals, something I was thankful for.

"Thanks for taking us out again, Jack," Pam said graciously. I sighed and rested my chin in my left hand, letting my bad table manners show. Pam sent me a look of disbelief, but I acted dumb and cupped my chin in both hands.

"Anytime...anytime..." He drummed his fingers on the table. "So, Sammy," I cringed. "Danny tells me you're in his English class...?" I nodded and rested my forehead against my hands.

"Yeah..." I answered, looking up. "He is..."

I tried to find room for my arm to fit on the table, yet I had no such luck. Placed in the center of the table was a candle, surrounded by a glass case. The napkins, I noticed, were cleverly folded as swans, and placed inside the back of the swan were several utensils: two knives, three forks, and a spoon for one person. I placed my hands in my lap, slightly gawking at the crowded table. There were glasses of water for each person (though one was absent), and empty, shiny plates placed in front of us for the bread that was sitting, untouched, beside the candle.

We lapsed into silence. Pam bit the inside of her cheek, a habit she did while thinking of something to say in awkward positions such as these. My stomach rumbled loudly, causing the three other people at the table to give me peculiar stares.

"Do you think we should go ahead and order--"

"Let's wait for Maddie, Samantha," Pam ordered through clenched teeth, though she tried to sound cheerful. "It's impolite to eat without a guest..."

"It's impolite to be twenty minutes late, too," I muttered to myself. Danny, who must of heard, chuckled across from me. I let out a one-exhale laugh in return, truing to prevent it from drawing Pam's attention, yet my resistance to giggle was futile. She snapped her head in my direction, sending me a warning with eyebrows raised high. I immediately stared at the water placed on the table, acting as if I were intrigued by the water droplets.

"Would you like to order?" The question was so sudden that I felt myself jump. An aura of paranoia had overwhelmed me since the ghost attack yesterday. I turned to my side to find a young, blond haired girl with an open notebook in her hands. Her smile, like the hostess, seemed to never fade.

"Yes, p--" I began.

"No, thank you. We're still waiting on somebody." I had a feeling that Pam wasn't declining as politeness. She was hardly ever polite when it wasn't necessary, and she had known Maddie for years. There was no need to be polite with her. I felt the silent punishment punching me in the stomach.

"A drink, perhaps?" The green eyed girl asked.

"Erm..." Pam glanced at the empty entrance. "Sure...why not?" I felt immediate gratitude toward the waitress.

"Okay, then." She fished for a pen in her fanny pack, sticking a large portion of her tongue out slightly, and turned to me. "What'll it be?"

"Coke,"I answered, rubbing my index finger along the side of the cup, absorbing the moisture that it let off, and flicked away in an unknown direction. Pam gave me an outraged gaze.

My plan was now in session.

The waitress jotted down my order and turned to Danny.

"Same as her," He said absently, picking at a bread crumb beside his plate.

"Okay, then. How about you, miss?" Pam furrowed her brow.

"Erm...tea...non-sweetened...is fine by me." Pam always was a fan of health. She patted Jack's arm across from her and looked up. "He'll have the same as well." I looked to my side to see if he would protest, but he seemed to be oblivious of the waitress. Jack's eyes were glued to the hostess booth.

The waitress nodded and walked away after informing us that our drinks would be out in a few moments.

"Dad?" Danny asked. His voice sounded scratchy, as if he had been up all night. I could relate.

Jack snapped out of his gaze and looked over to his son.

"Hmm?" He asked.

Danny shook his head.

"It's nothing..." Jack shrugged and shifted his position in his seat. I drummed my fingers on the table.

"Any idea when Maddie's going to get here?" I asked Pam, taking a sip of the water.

"She'll get here when she gets here, Samantha..." Pam announced, though I could hear a hint of annoyance in her tone. Perhaps she was growing hungry as well. I watched, eyes wide, as she dug through her purse and pulled out a gray cell phone that she had received as a gift from work a few months ago.

"I wonder what's taking her so long..." Pam opened the phone and held it up high in the air. "No service..." She closed it hastily and stood up. "I'll be right back. I need to go outside and call Maddie..."

Pam pushed her chair into the table and walked out of the restaurant, leaving me alone with Danny and his father. I looked from Jack, who was watching as Pam exited, to Danny, helping himself to a piece of bread.

"Aww...crud," Jack said suddenly. Danny and I looked up. "I forgot that...thing in the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle...I'll...be back in a bit." Jack hurriedly stood up and fast-walked out of the restaurant, his orange and black tie dangling behind him.

Danny chuckled at our isolation, and I couldn't help but laugh, too.

"Anything to stay with each other, I guess..." I mused as I picked up a piece of the bread. Danny's smile slightly faded and nodded.

"Yeah..."

I felt the awkwardness come beating down like heat rays from the sun.

"So, have you heard Dumpty Humpty's new single?" Danny asked me conversationally. I grinned. Humpty Dumpty was my favorite band, and, I learned at my house a few days ago, Danny's as well.

"Good-bye To Sanity?" I asked. I heard it on the radio a couple of times. Danny nodded. "Yeah! I love the beginning instrumental part." Danny grinned.

"Same here!"

The waitresses here must enjoy creeping up behind me, for when this one did this time I felt my shoulders hunch back. I swept my head around and saw a chubby, long brown haired girl with tiny chocolate colored eyes. Unlike the previous waitress and the hostess, she had a scowl as she looked at Danny and me. Her arm brushed against my shoulder as she walked past.

"Two Cokes and two teas," She said in a voice that made your teeth grind. She set the glasses on the table in random positions, me receiving the tea and Danny getting his coke. "Are you ready to order or would you like an appetizer first?" I looked up at Danny, who shrugged. Apparently he was like me: totally clueless as what to say.

"I...guess a salad would be fine," I told her, flipping open the menu to the appetizers course. The waitress jotted that down in a notebook that she conjured from her fanny pack.

"And for the date?"

The word hung in the air for a brief moment. I could feel those previous feelings of annoyance and anger suddenly disappear, being replaced by a giddy feeling that I could barely suppress by taking a large gulp of the tea that was given to me, not bothering to exchange it with the Coke, averting my eyes from Danny's.

"I'll have one of those...I'll have a salad, too..." I was sure I was paranoid now, but I could have sworn that Danny couldn't disguise the embarrassment in his voice.

I listened as the waitress walked away, muttering insane nonsense words to herself.

My insides squirmed as I set the glass back on the table, gasping for breath. Did we honestly look like a couple?

Danny laughed and pushed the coke that was placed in front of him to me, somehow managing to keep it away from falling over the swan-shaped napkins. I gave him a half-hearted smile and casually took a sip.

"So how was your..first day at Casper High?" I asked him, breaking apart a piece of my bread.

"It was..." Danny paused. "Fine. The teachers there are..."

"Brutal?" I finished, popping the bread into my mouth. He nodded.

"Yeah, like...erm..." He furrowed his brow, trying to recall a name. "The out of shape English teacher...?" I nodded.

"Lancer?"

"Yeah. Does he normally overload on homework or and I just lucky enough to show up when he's in bad moods?" I chuckled.

"Actually," I explained, "He's been in a good mood since you showed up." Which was true. When Danny had answered Lancer's question yesterday, Lancer seemed to be more quizzical towards the rest of the students.

Danny buried his head into his arms.

"Great. When he's in a bad mood I'll be up 'till—what?--three in the morning, I s'pose?" His voice was muffled by his arms, and I had to strain my ears to comprehend what he was saying.

"You could just blow it off like me and Tuck do." Danny sat up and rested his chin on his arms, giving me the crooked smile. I drowned myself in the Coke again.

"So...about yesterday--"

"The ghost attack?" I asked, setting my drink on the table. "Welcome to Amity Park, friendliest place in Illinois, ghost infected town..." Danny laughed.

"It was...and experience." He fixed his gaze on the flickering candle, his face illuminated by the dim lighting. He glanced up. It hurt to tear my eyes away from him.

"Sam...listen. There's something--"

"Your salads!" The squeaky, teeth grinding brunette waitress said dryly, setting down a plate full of salad in front of Danny and me. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," Danny said somewhat disappointedly.

"Yeah," She said, flipping her hair and walking away.

"So you were saying?" I asked, biting into the salad.

Danny blinked.

"It's nothing. Really." I raised an eyebrow, yet took another bite.

"So how's your...condo?" I asked him.

Danny chuckled to himself as if this were some inside joke.

"Dad's a pack-rat, so the place is crowded and messy all at once." I laughed. So that's why they were at our house constantly.

"Sounds like my room," I observed, taking another bite that uncovered several ruby red cherry tomatoes.

I set my fork down and picked up one of the tomatoes and plopped it into my mouth, but immediately spit it out. Danny laughed.

"What?" He asked as I covered the tomato residue with a piece of cabbage.

"It's gross!" I complained, eying the next tomato on my plate. "It tastes like feet."

Danny chuckled, reached over all of the accessories on the table, picked up one of the remaining tomatoes and took a bite of it.

"What if I was going to eat that?" I asked him, mocking rage.

"You want something that tastes like feet?" He chewed the tomato with dignity.

"No, but maybe the tomato I had was a dud. Besides, you've got some on your plate!"

Danny cocked his head back and laughed, causing me to giggle as well. I hated how he could to that.

"It doesn't taste like feet to me," Danny mused softly, leaning into the table.

"Then maybe your taste buds are immune to the cherry-tomato-feet-taste," I explained, feeling myself leaning in as well.

"Or maybe..." Danny said with his crooked smile. I could feel the rapid beat of my heart, the rush of blood. "You're just delusional." I breathed in the familiar scent of honeysuckle, suddenly glad that Maddie was late and prevented us from eating dinner.

"I'm not the one that eats feet tasting tomatoes, Mr. Neil Armstrong." I couldn't help but notice how soft we were speaking even if our faces were just inches apart.

Danny's lips twitched. I could tell he was trying his absolute hardest not to laugh. A triumphant whoop filled my stomach, longing to escape. Cherry tomatoes were officially my favorite fruit.

"Sam, you really need to know something," Danny whispered, looking behind him to make sure that there weren't any waitresses to ruin what he was about to say. "It was rea--"

"Kids!" Maddie's call from the entrance rang throughout the entire restaurant. I hoped to myself that it caused a scene, spoiling everybody's dinner. Why was it that every time Danny tried to tell me this somewhat important, something or someone interrupted?

"_Maddie, you've got the perfect timing,_" I thought sarcastically to myself.

"Sorry I'm late! Got held up at work." Maddie fluffed my hair, a habit she'd had since I was younger, and sat in the unoccupied seat beside me. I reluctantly lowered myself into the chair and gave her a forced smile.

"That's fine, Maddie," I said, swirling my soda with its straw. "But next time you really should just stay as long as they needed you."

The remainder of the dinner passed slowly, Jack explaining to Danny and me that he and Maddie were college buddies along with another friend of his that now resided in Wisconsin, though he hadn't seen a trace of him for nearly twenty years.

"We were inseparable, the three of us!" Jack bellowed, elbowing me in the side. I groaned and rubbed it. "Until--"

"Now, Jack," Maddie said, leaning in front of me to face him with clenched teeth. "We really don't need to go into detail about the good ol' days, now, do we?"

Pam gave Maddie a grateful look before returning to eating her meal.

Maddie decided to drive Pam and me home so we wouldn't have to ride in a cab. The brisk November wind slapped me across the face as the five of us stood outside, me shivering because I was stubborn and refused to wear a jacket. Pam was angry with me for ordering food without Maddie, scolding me quietly as we exited Sherley's Gardens.

"Thank you for the lovely evening, Jack," Pam said as she kissed Jack lightly on the lips.

"Anytime, anytime."

Pam and I entered Maddie's minivan, the two adults up in the front. I waved good-bye to Jack and Danny from the window, keeping my expression blank.

"Samantha," Pam announced through clenched teeth as Maddie. "Have you no respect?"

"To what?" I asked sarcastically, just to annoy Pam.

"Me, Maddie, Jack! You ordered the most expensive thing on the menu and barely took a bite! Not to mention your _manners_!" I sniffed to hold back a grin. That was the plan, to make Pam and Jack angry and chose to just go out to eat together _without_ Danny and me attending the awkward dinner. Maybe now they would think twice before inviting Danny and me. Or at least me.

"Sorry," I said tonelessly.

Maddie ignored Pam's complaints and exaggerated anger all the way to our house, bidding us a sorry yet foolishly disguised anxious good-bye.

I slammed the car door shut and watched as Maddie sped away, her headlights disappearing behind the wooden fenced entrance. Pam fished for her house keys in her purse and opened the front door, wiping away a cobweb that appeared while we were gone. She remained silent, still angry at me, I supposed, as she left to go to her room. I felt excitement play again and again in my stomach as I almost ran to my room.

I opened the door to reveal my room: bland and messy. An old Pear computer stood on my desk, its monitor dusty from my lack of cleaning. Socks and underwear were strewn in various places, old, crumpled and yellowed papers from past English assignments were hidden underneath my bed and stuffed inside pillowcases that were covered in mildew.

I fell onto my bed, embracing my bare pillow. I felt...happy for some unknown reason. I knew that making Pam angry would make me feel good, but, not this ecstatic. A goofy grin was playing on my face, I was sure, never wanting to leave.

The images of dinner replayed in my mind. The scowl on Pam's face when she heard my order, Maddie and Jack laughing at the butter that I "accidentally" flung at the table beside us while digging it out of the cup, Danny's face being so close to mine...the scent of his breath, his crooked smile...

I sat upright, my grin vanishing and replaced with a expression of confusion. Danny...

"Oh no," I said to myself, his trademark smile flashing through my mind, giving me that feeling again. It wasn't that he had the effect on everyone, as I had thought. It was just _me_, and Valerie, perhaps. Everything about Danny came crashing through my mind: his life's ambitions, favorite hobby, television show...music...his tousled hair, sea blue eyes, voice...

"Oh no," I repeated.

I was in love with Danny Fenton.

**((Author's Note: I got two waitresses in here because I can. (shifty eyes) That and usually when I go to places like that (Sherley's Garden) I normally get more than one waitress...  
I NEEDED to write something similar to fluffyness. Really bad. The funeral got me down, but writing this seriously made me feel better!  
I know it's really early to post this, but Huntsville is almost an hour away from home (that's where the funeral was held) and so I wrote on the way there and thought about it on the way back. And I stayed up until three-thirty in the morning trying to find a flashlight so I could write it in bed too! (shifty eyes) I don't have a problem...  
GAH! I TOLD you there'd be confessions...just not what you assumed? Just a self-confession, really. Nothing more, nothing less, but STILL...I shall not lie.  
As for rage...; Can you kinda feel it? At the beginning, I mean. Sam's rage t'wards Pam. I'm not g (stuffs fist in mouth so self-critic becomes muffled). (keeps stuffing fist in mouth)  
**

**Reviews made this come up oober early. Reviews shall make the next chapter come up oober early too! (shifty eyes) If you catch my drift...-.-**

**Or I could just threaten you with my computer ninja so you will review...he steals the cookies! (is shocked)  
Sooo you get lots and lots and lots of cookies if you leave a review! And a cosmic brownie. And FS's Special Treat...(evil laugh) I'm going to make you guys fat if you don't review! (Maniacal laughter)  
OMFG A WHOLE CHAPTER WITHOUT ME DISSING IT! (is oober shocked)  
Preview of Chapter Six: Brutal Discoveries**

**His hand was clammy with sweat and fear, his eyes wide with anxiety. I gripped his forearm as tight as I possibly could, though it was of no use. I was so close to falling, so close to ending my life. I clenched my eyes shut.  
**

**More of the preview of the next chapter is located in my profile if you want to see it...(shifty eyes) But it's nothing really special.  
**

**FS))**


	6. Brutal Discoveries

**((Author's Note: Can you say 'this chapter is going to be one of the longest things known to man?' I can. Because it is OOBER long. (is zonked out about how long it is) I should have made this into two separate chapters, but erm...oh well. I can't tell a short story that well...those kumquats had something to do with it, I bet. -.-**

**Those reviews...(squeals) they make me feel all...gooey inside. -. Thanks ooberly dooberly...oogerly for your kind words! (squeals like a piggeh)**

**Look For The Girl With The Broken Smile: Aww! Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0 (that be ice cream!)  
Summers Rage: Really? YAY! (does a dance) ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0  
KittyKiChi: Yeah, I feel all weird when I'm writing/typing it. My hairs stand up and everything. And no, but I should have done that XDDD. Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0  
gabriella phantom: Aww! (huggles) Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**jessicajason: Teehee. Me, too. -. Thank you ooberly dooberly much! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**Domincandragon: Yay! (squeals too) Bring on the fluff! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**knowledge In the hollow noggin: OMFG! You didn't know that? (faints) Yes, it is. I think they are planning to dominate the world by making innocent citizens fat. O0 And you'll wait and see. I think it's unethical to date your step...sibling, but...I don't know. I won't give anything away because (shoves fist in mouth). Thanks for the awesome review! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**dAnnYsGiRl777: Thanks. Me neither, but I can write the longest novels and it would have taken forEVER for Sam to realize that if I did that the way I WANTED to...(shifty eyes) ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**loviegurlie: Oooh, I LOOVE plot twists. OMFG NO! (shoves fist in mouth) ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**The Only Sexy Ninja Phantom Person Ever To Look At Life And Say That Everything Would Look Better Through A Sexy Phantom Half Mask: Might I just say that I am in love with your pen name. It's so cool! (huggles your pen name) And I hope this was soon enough for yeh. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**Midnight Scare: Thanks for both of those kind word...s...es...(is confused) ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**passing4insane: I will answer you directly because I may go off track and give something away...: No, Danny is not going to be moving into Sam's house. That is all that I will say, though, except...yeah...though I will have some more awkward moments in here...(shifty eyes) But that would have been a given anyway. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**Imaginary Whisper: Yeah, it is. XDDD It's really weird to write. (is shocked) Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$ 0**

**Midnight: I DIDN'T FORGET YOU THIS TIME! OMFG THANK YOU SO MUCH! (huggles) ()()()()()()()()()()$$ 0**

**The 0 is ice cream in case you didn't read the first gift thing. So...yes. It's a magical flavor. The ones that make you like this (stuffs fist in mouth) chapter.  
**

**Yeah, I should have split this chapter into two parts...oh well. It's really, really long. (sobs)  
**

**Butch owns Danny. I...I own...I own this pixie stick. (l) Yum...**

**Meh...this chapter (stuffs hand in mouth) and that's why (stuffs hand in mouth). I hate muting my opinions. -.-**

**Chapter Six**

**Brutal Discoveries**

"Did he mention me at all?"

"No, Valerie."

"Did he hint about me?"

"No, Valerie."

"Did you talk about--"

"Valerie!"

I was sitting against one of the various trees in the courtyard of Casper High, Valerie at my side as I did a quick run-through of all of the homework from the past week that was due today. I had made the idiotic mistake of informing Valerie about the dinner last night. She was grinning like a maniac, full of hope that I wouldn't mind to watch fall to pieces. Or quarrel earlier this week had never happened in her eyes, causing me to become yet even more angrier towards we.

"I understand that you want to know every aspect about what happened last night," I said through clenched teeth. "But I've got to make it seem like I've done my Biology work, okay?" Valerie's face fell.

"So he didn't talk about me?" I sighed and threw my pencil to the ground, realizing that the attempt to complete my homework was futile.

"No."

"Not _once_?" How many times would I have to say 'no' until the answer would penetrate through her thick skull?

"I guess maybe one--"

"What did he say?" Valerie squeezed my arm. "What did Danny say?"

"I dunno. He..." I paused, trying to formulate a lie to keep Valerie from both murdering me from frustration and cutting off the circulation in my arm. "He just threw your name in as a...as a casualty, I guess..."

Valerie dropped her arm to the ground. Astonishment was clearly written across her face.

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." I really didn't want to have _Danny_, of all people, as this morning's topic. I crossed out the sentence that I had just wrote and tried to come up with something more suitable as I yawned. I hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night, tossing and turning about the situation I had landed myself in.

"Hey, Sam," Valerie said softly after I retrieved my pencil. She obviously did not want me to pass the ninth grade.

"What?" My voice was stiff, harsh. Good.

"You're my best friend, right?"

Where was she going with this? I still hadn't forgiven her for last week, or Wednesday for that matter.

"Depends on what you want from me..." I said slowly. Valerie bit her lip.

"Look, I know you're totally against this whole relationship between me and Danny," She began. I rested my head against the tree bark. In more ways than one, unfortunately. "But...you and I both know how things are going to end for Pam and Mr. Fenton—not to be rude," She added at the scowl I sent her. "So, do you think you could do me a favor?" I fingered the led of my pencil, longing to fling it at her. She insults my mother and expects _me_ to do a favor for _her_?

"Why should I do anything for you?" I asked bitterly.

"Because that's what friends do..." Her answer came out unsure, which made me slightly happy to see that she didn't exactly know why either.

"What is it?"

"I've been getting...hints from Danny all through English that he...likes me--"

"I highly doubt that two days will tell you much."

But Valerie ignored me.

"And I was wondering if you could...ask him...for me."

"Ask him what?" I knew the answer, though. It wasn't that hard to figure out.

"If he likes me."

I bit the inside of my cheek, making suction noises to fill the silence. How self-centered could one person get?

"What if he doesn't?" I asked her, examining my now violet painted fingernails. "What if...what if those hints were warnings? Like, back off warnings."

Valerie giggled.

"I just know." She bent her lip out and furrowed her eyebrows. The puppy dog look. "Please? This is the last favor I'll ask from you for _forever_, I promise!" I sighed.

"I highly doubt _that_, but..." I heaved a deep breath. I was going to regret this decision. "Just meet me in the bathroom after English..." Valerie exhaled a high pitched squeal, causing me to jump.

"Thank you, Sam!" She flung her arms around me. My back stiffened as my arms lie limp on my spiral. "I'll pay you back, I _promise_!" She stood up, beaming broadly.

"We're gonna be late," She observed, offering me her hand. I ignored it and shoved my notebook into the ruby red backpack that I owned since I was in third grade and slung it over my shoulder before standing up.

"Yeah."

On the way into the school, Valerie chattered excitedly in my ear about her anticipations for the future relationship between her and Danny. I nodded at the what I felt were appropriate times, though took no apparent notice of each word that she said.

I had played every detail that I would say to Danny in my head during Algebra first period. I would hold him back, do Valerie's favor, and, regardless what he said, not care and inform Valerie.

It would have been nicer, however, if my plans hadn't of gone awry.

I slammed my backpack on my desk, receiving an angry glance from Mr. Lancer as I sat down. Valerie gave me a broad grin as she gently lowered herself into her seat when Danny walked in. I could feel my heart thudding against my chest, wondering what would happen between the two of them from now and the end of the period.

"For tonight's homework," Mr. Lancer began loudly as he turned around to write a number on the board. "I want you to read chap--"

But the bell muted what he was about to say, and the class bolted out the door to save themselves from receiving any work to do later on to night. He had already given us too much yesterday. I hurriedly stuffed my copy of _Romeo And Juliet_ into my backpack before dashing to catch up to Danny, who was squished between Dash Baxter and Hayden Presley, two football stars, just outside the door. I saw his raven hair disappear from behind their bulky shoulders and quickly caught up to him.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked in a rush, keeping my eyes from his godlike face and staring directly at a locker behind him. I watched as Valerie crept behind him, an anxious grin on her face as she disappeared into the girl's bathroom, where apparently I was to meet her at.

"Sure, Sam," Danny said, leaning over so we were now eye contact. He gave me the crooked smile. "What is it?"

"I was wondering...no...V...a friend of mine was wondering...er...do you...do you like..." I could hear my heart beating. Melvin Kroskey, a member of the Science Squad, tripped behind Danny, his spiral notebook flying everywhere. "Do you...like newspaper?" My stomach quenched, hoping that I didn't ask what I thought I had just asked him.

"Excuse me?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow, a light smile dazzling behind his eyes.

I had to think of an excuse.

"The...the school newspaper. Do you...you know...like it?" I stuffed my hands deep into my pockets.

"I didn't know there _was_ a school newspaper..." Danny said with a grin.

"Heh..." I inhaled a deep breath. "Yeah...well...you should...you should check it out sometime." Danny nodded.

"I'll do that." He studied my face for a moment before giving me a weak smile. "See you later, then." I wished that he would leave so I wouldn't have to do Valerie's bidding, but she wasn't the only one who needed to know.

"Wait," I said as he turned around to depart, and grabbed his forearm. I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair. "Listen. Do you..." I took a deep breath. "Do you by any chance...like Valerie?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"In the three or some odd days that you've known Val, would you ever consider...consider going...going on a date or something like that?"

Danny remained silent, even when a Junior shoved him out of his way. He looked uncomfortable, as if answering the question were something that he would rather jump off a cliff than do. I felt my stomach quench, fully aware of what the answer would be. I averted my eyes to the ground, not wanting to look him in the face.

"Well...I mean...she's nice and all..." His voice was cracked. "We...we like the same music...she's really interesting..." He seemed to be saying his thoughts out loud instead of answering my question.

"Do you?" I repeated.

"I..." Danny scratched behind his ear and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Why?"

I bit my lip; looking at him right now hurt. The confused yet anticipated expression on his face gave me the answer I needed. And it wasn't what I secretly wished.

"Just...just..." I could feel and hear my voice becoming shaky. Since when was _I_ the emotional one? "Answer my question and I'll answer yours."

"That's not fair," He objected.

"Sure it is." I forced a smile. "Go."

He sighed.

"I...I guess..."

I felt as if I had been punched in the gut several hundred times, but the forced smile still stood.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" I asked as I reluctantly left his side, but he wanted my end of the bargain as well. I felt his strong grip on my arm as he pulled me back, though I was slightly limp and didn't oppose, I rammed into his chest.

"Why?"

I was suddenly reminded of last night's dinner during the tomato battle. His dazzling eyes that had a grin hidden behind them, his crooked smile that needed no explanation. The conversation...

"Ask her out," I insisted dully. "Nasty Burger maybe--" But I stopped in the middle of my sentence and reluctantly left his side to speed off into the girls' bathroom.

When I saw Valerie's face, I immediately wanted to throw her head into the nearest toilet. I shook that thought out of my head. It wasn't her fault that Danny liked her. And besides...our parents were _dating_...and, judging by the looks of how close Pam and Jack were, not splitting up anytime soon. And Valerie _did_ seem to share the same interests with him. As I looked at her eager face and visualized Danny's in my mind, I could only see the two together, sharing a milkshake at the Nasty Burger. Envy prodded my stomach as I feebly smiled at Valerie.

"What'd he say?" She asked me as if she were a toddler on Christmas, anxious to tear open the presents.

"You were right," I told her tonelessly, examining my face in the mirror.

Valerie squealed, grinning. I rubbed my ear as I turned to face her shining face.

"I owe you, Sam!" She pointed out, gathering her backpack from the sink. I pursed my lips together and nodded as she darted out the door.

"Yeah," I said to myself, walking out so I wouldn't be late, though, at the moment, I wouldn't mind being thrown into detention today to get out of Valerie's forceful wishes of making me find Danny with her.

I sat down in my seat just seconds before the bell rang; Mrs. Grenfier eyed me for a moment about my near-tardiness before clasping her bony hands together and giving the class a fake smile while she informed us of the agenda today.

I, however, couldn't pay attention to what she was ranting about. I was more interested in what I had just done. In what position that I landed not only me, but Tucker in as well. I held my head up with my left hand and absently doodled on a piece of paper.

I was in love (I cringed at the thought) with my mother's boyfriend's son. My best friend is apparently going to go on her first date with him thanks to me, now. My other best friend is in love with the girl who practically drools over the boy that I am in love with, who likes my best friend. I groaned at the mess I was in.

"Tucker," I said softly, my head still bent over the spiral.

"Hmm?"

I paused, trying to come up with a way to inform him of the part of the situation that concerned him. He had a right to know.

"Isetdannyandvalerieuponadate." The sentence came out as one jumbled, mushed word.

"What?" Tucker asked, raising an eyebrow.

I sighed.

"I...set Danny and Val...up on a date." Tucker was silent for the longest time.

"You--" Mrs. Grenfier slapped today's pop quiz on my desk, causing Tucker to cease what he would soon say. I felt relief flood over me. I didn't need Tucker's hurtful and angry words on top of everything else going on in my life.

"Why would you do that?" Tucker whispered as I wrote my name on the quiz.

"_Because I wanted to know,_" I thought, yet ignored him.

"Sam--"

"Shut up, Tucker."

"You _know_ how much--"

"I'm taking a test!" I had slightly raised my voice, making a few of the students turn around to give me peculiar glances. I looked up to Mrs. Grenfier's desk, but she was too busy grading the previous period's papers.

I couldn't concentrate on the quiz. Tucker's eyes were sending me endless daggers against my lowered back. I could feel his breath on my neck. There were no words to describe the emotions I was sure that he was feeling toward me. I couldn't blame him. I felt the same way.

When the bell rang, I scurried out of my seat, dropping the quiz in the bin on Mrs. Grenfier's desk, acting as if I hadn't heard any of Tucker's ranting as I hurried out of the doorway.

"Sam!" I pursed my lips. There would be no way to get rid of him. I would have to face what he would say.

"I'm _sorry_, Tuck. I'm _really, really_ sorry!" Dash Baxter rammed into my shoulder as he passed, sending me a glare. I ignored him and walked toward my locker.

"You said you were against them getting together!" Which was true. I had confided into Tucker yesterday in how I felt about what would happen if Valerie and Danny _did_ end up together, as Valerie had planned. He seemed rather overjoyed by the fact that I was on his side, and agreed with everything I said, whether he heard it or not.

"I know." I approached my locker and idly turned the combination in. "But..." I sighed.

"Why'd you do it?" His tone wasn't harsh this time, nor was it cold. It was puzzled, hurt. I felt sympathy toward him.

"My own reasons, Tuck," I sighed.

My own selfish, inconsiderate reasons.

Tucker watched silently as I thrust my first three periods' spirals into my locker, loose papers flying everywhere. I slammed it shut and turned to face him.

"You were the one that tried to set _us_ up, Sam, remember?" He asked. I leaned against the metal, ignoring the knobs that prodded my back.

"Yeah--"

"And you said no matter _what _you'd get--"

"I know what I said, Tuck. And...and I meant it, too."

Tucker shook his head.

"Yeah, whatever," He said softly before walking away.

"Hey, Samantha," Pam greeted me as she set her purse on the counter, a wide grin across her face. I bit into my apple, an after-school snack that I always had, and gave her a weak smile. "How was school?"

I cringed. The remainder of the school day consisted of absent glances from Tucker and ecstatic grins from Valerie. During lunch Valerie had invited Danny to sit with us at our now nearly vacant table since Tucker decided to eat his lunch in the computer room to avoid most likely, me. I did my best not to gag on my food as Valerie heavily hinted how bored she would be this weekend with nothing to do. I stuffed my salad down my throat to prevent saying anything and screwing up today any further.

Before I could find if Danny gathered enough courage to ask Valerie out or not, I made up an excuse to leave the table and avoided the pair for the rest of the school day. I was incredibly grateful that it was Friday.

"Fine," I lied, returning to eating my apple. "How was work?"

This was our daily routine. Exchange a brief story about our day before Pam decided to prepare a mean and I to my "homework."

"Great! You'll never guess who showed up to sample the entrées!" I sniffed. I was pretty sure who it was.

"Who?" I asked, faking obliviousness. Pam seemed to buy it.

"Jack came and invited us to dinner at his place!" I sighed. I was having an over-dosage of Jack and his dinners. Would he ever let Pam and I eat alone?

"Wonderful," I said sarcastically before I remembered something dreadful. "Wait a sec. Danny said that Jack can't cook worth a--"

"Oh, _he's_ obviously not going to cook," Pam informed me as she reached into her purse and sprayed perfume all over her body. I scrunched my nose. The perfume smelled too much like beauty salons and the mall. "I'll be cooking. He's come here, took a look around our house, and he wants to return the favor." Pam stuffed the perfume back into her purse and snapped it shut.

"Lovely," I replied tonelessly. In a few short moments I would be facing Danny, the last person I wanted to see at the moment.

"How much homework do you have?" Pam asked me as I bit into the apple.

"Enough."

"Do you think you can finish it up tomorrow?" Did she honestly want me to go that badly?

"I dunno, P—Mom. I've got this book report due soon..."

"Oh, please, Sammykins!" I winced at the name. I stared at the apple core, toying with it in my hands.

"Whatever."

Pam squealed with delight.

"Great. Go...go change, please?" I scoffed as I stood up to throw the apple away. "Into something more...suitable."

I froze in my spot above the trash can.

"If I can wear this to school then it's suitable, okay?" I said through clenched teeth.

It was Pam's turn to sigh now.

"Whatever."

Half an hour later Pam and I were standing in the foyer of the Fenton's household. Jack and Pam exchanged their romantic greetings while Danny and I swayed awkwardly to the side.

"Hey," Danny said to be as I examined a split end.

"Hey." My voice was so small. Vulnerable. I hated it.

"So erm...did you..." He paused, causing me to drop the strand of hair and glance up at him to find what was wrong.

That was a mistake.

Danny's face was fixed with emotions of sympathy and yet eagerness. His eyes seemed to be sending me a secret message, or so I thought. I stiffened. If he were, it would have been about Valerie.

"Did you start on that assignment Lancer gave us yesterday?"

"Oh er...no. I-I'm gonna have my face in that stupid book all weekend."

Danny chuckled.

"You?"

"Not yet. I would have started on it tonight but--" He broke off, apparently thinking that I found the statement to be rude.

"Same here," I assured him. "But Pam _adores_ Jack and, I guess, wants to get to know you better, so...you and me are stuck together."

Danny's smile morphed into the memorial expression. I casually looked away, yet couldn't resist sneaking a glance, only to have the blood from my head rush to my feet. I felt as if I had abruptly stood up after sitting down in the same position for an hour; half of my eyesight being replaced by blue stars.

"So, Sammy," Jack said, scooping a bit of the mashed potatoes Pam had made for dinner. I swished mine around, not exactly hungry. "I hear you're afraid of ghosts?"

I sent Pam a glare. She was the only one who knew that.

"I'm not afraid of them," I mumbled, glancing down at the messy kitchen table. I was nearly impossible to see anything due to the height of the school supplies, Axion Labs files, and Mr. Fenton's inventions that he created. I only hoped that Jack was too lazy to clean off the table and this _was_ its normal height. "I just don't like them is all."

"Well neither do I," Jack stated.

"Then why do you--"

"He just wants to _study_ them, Samantha, no please don't interrupt it's rude," Pam said rapidly from beside me, her voice steadily raising its pitch. I rolled my eyes and took a bite of the carrots.

"So you think that ghosts are interesting enough to devote your whole life to studying?" I asked him. Jack shrugged.

"Sure! Why not? Exploring not only the creatures of another dimension, but the dimension itself."

"Fascinating," I said monotone.

"So er...what is it you wanna do, Sam?" Danny asked me.

"Not too sure," I answered, biting into another carrot. "Something interesting that'll make a difference, I'm sure." Bits of carrot flew out of my mouth and onto Danny's backpack. I felt blush creep up on my neck. Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice.

Pam bit into the last part of her meal, as did the rest of us with ours.

"Really great dinner, Pam," Jack said as he stood up, snatching up his and my plate. "Thanks."

"Oh," Pam flushed as she grabbed the remaining dishes off of the table and brought them to the sink. "It was no big deal."

Danny and I stood up, leaving Pam and Jack to do the dishes. Danny snatched his backpack off of the table (I sighed in relief as I saw that the carrot bit was gone).

"You weren't lying when you said your mom was a good cook," Danny explained as he plopped on the living room couch.

I shrugged.

"It's...what she does best, I guess." He smiled as I awkwardly sat myself beside him, averting my eyes to the floor. Any moment now the conversation would painfully end up on Valerie.

"Hey, erm..." Danny scratched his head. "Do you wanna see something?" I looked up from the ground. That was twice tonight he had proven me wrong.

"Oh...erm...what is it?" Danny grinned.

"C'mon." he stood up and I followed, unsure of what to do. With his backpack still in his hands, he grabbed his jacket that was slung over the couch. I grimaced. We would be going outside? He crept out the front door, ensuring that I was at his heels.

The wind was a brutal shock. It had picked up since my last visit outside, roughly two hours ago. I clamped my jaw shut to prevent any chattering, wishing that I had brought a jacket to the Fentons'. The wind whipped through my hair as Danny gently pushed me in the right direction.

"Fire escape," Danny informed me as we approached a flight of metal stairs just outside his door. The Fentons' were somewhat in the middle of the massive condominium building. He threw out his hand as if beckoning me to go ahead. I threw him a cautious look before trudging up against the wind, stopping occasionally, only to have Danny tell me to keep going.

When we came to the end of the stairs, though, he sent me a devious grin

"There's nothing left," I stated, leaning against number thirty-two's door. Danny chuckled.

"Not quite." He pointed to a ladder, beckoning me to go up it. Reluctantly I obeyed.

When my foot hit against the roof of the condos, I felt my shoulders jolt.

"Are you sure it's okay that we're up here?" I asked Danny as he appeared by my side.

He smiled.

"Positive," He said with a smile, adjusting his backpack and stepping forward. "I come up here all the time."

"You've only lived here for--"

"Exactly." I grinned, the nausea in my stomach wilting away.

"Look," Danny said, grabbing my forearm and gingerly pulling me to the edge of the roof, pointing up toward the sky with his other hand. I glanced up, and gasped.

The horizon of Amity Park was dimly lit by the setting sun. Danny nodded and sat on the ledge, his legs dangling over the side. I followed in suit, resting my elbow on my thighs and my chin in my cupped hand.

"It's beautiful," I observed as the sun lowered itself, just moments from disappearing. Danny chuckled.

"So erm..." I tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear, biting my lip. I had to know. "Did you ask Val..." I didn't say anything more. That had to be enough.

Danny seemed taken aback by my sudden interest. He fidgeted in his spot and shrugged.

"Yeah erm...she didn't tell you?" I shook my head.

"I was...in a hurry to get home," I confessed. Danny nodded.

"Oh erm...yeah. Tomorrow...I took your advice. We're going to the Nasty Burger..." I nodded and stared blankly at the now blackened horizon.

"Good," I said, though my voice was as unconvincing as my thoughts of how this was good. How everything would work out in everyone's favor. "Th—that's really good, Danny."

We remained in silence, looking up now at the midnight black sky and the surreal stars that coated it. A long rush of wind swept over us. I stood up on my feet to get warmer. It was freezing outside.

I grabbed the hem of my skirt to prevent it from flying up with the wind, though now my shoulders were cold. To my dismay, my teeth began to chatter.

"Here," Danny offered as he stood up, draping his jacket over my bare shoulders. "I don't need it."

Sudden warmth, and I was sure that it wasn't just because of the jacket, overwhelmed me.

"Thanks," I said, pushing my arms through the sleeves, though I took my time. The inside of it was warm and cozy, but the scent made my legs want to give out. It didn't smell like any cologne able to be purchased, but what did I know?

"It's really pretty tonight," I observed shakily, pointing up to the sky. The stars were dancing madly, constellations burning intensely.

"Yeah," Danny said beside me. "It is."

"Listen, Sam," Danny said softly, grabbing my shoulders. I was bewildered. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you for the longest time." I blinked, my stomach rolling around in my throat.

"What is it?"

Danny closed his mouth and pursed his lips, the grip on my shoulders tightening, as if he were afraid I would slip from his grasp.

He opened his mouth to speak, but I was too astounded by the closeness of us to breathe properly, and felt my bodyweight shift to my unprepared feet.

The next thing I knew I was clutching the ledge of the roof, legs dangling madly. I was sure that the family right below me were baffled at the sight of two legs appearing out their window.

"Sam!" Danny screeched, his eyes widening as he grabbed my hand. My grasp on the ledge let out.

His hand was clammy with sweat and fear, his eyes wide with anxiety. I gripped his forearm as tight as I possibly could, though it was of no use. I was so close to falling, so close to ending my life. He was halfway over the edge of the roof, his legs almost in the air. I could see beads of sweat forming on his lower cheek. The attempt was futile. Any second now I would be squashed like a bug.

My grip loosened. He let out a short gasp.

I blinked, and when I opened my eyes, Danny Fenton was no longer on the roof. In his place, gripping my shoulders, was a snowy white haired boy with neon green eyes.

**((Author's Note: (faints) Longest...chapter...EVER! How many pages? THIRTEEN! THIRTEEN PAGES! THIRTEEN! (faints again)  
Okay, I hate (stuffs fist in mouth) HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT!  
Erm...yes. Nothing really to say here except...COMMENT PLEASE AND I WILL FOREVER ADORE YOU! And so will your ice cream with SPRINKLES! ZOMFG! Because if you don't...the dinosaurs that eat cheese will haunt you. It's scary, I know.  
There wasn't much fluff in here...okay not really any...(sobs) I'm so mad right now! WHY CAN'T THERE BE FLUFF? Roar...**

**Preview of Chapter Seven will be located in my profile shortly...as soon as I get it typed up.  
I couldn't get this up when I needed to! wasn't working! Thank goodness for SoDFF, though! (gets out magickey stick) Once again, PLEASE GO THERE! (gets on hands and knees) The link is in my profile. Now PLEASE GO THERE! (sobs)**

**FS))**


	7. Pleasurable Deceit

**((Author's Note: Hmm...this WAS originally the first chapter I wrote (with some minor changes, of course) and I didn't think I'd actually use this. It had a different plot, too...(thinks). Yeah...like the whole plot came from this one stupid chapter. FIVE different ones to be precise...(faints). So, erm...yes. BUT I forgot to type it up, and I lost my writing folder. (sobs) So I had to re-write the whole thing. Oh well. I was at my grandma's house and she doesn't have cable or satellite or anything so I pretty much just worked on this the whole time. **

**Now that that little Behind-The-Story thingy is done, TREATS!  
OMGOSHNESS! 16 reviews on here! Well...16 if you count SoDFF...IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS! OMFG! AND IT HAD THE LEAST AMOUNTS OF HITS (126 as I'm typing this) FOR THIS CHAPTER, BUT IT GOT THE MOST REVIEWS OF THE WHOLE STORY! YAY!)**

**look for the girl with the broken smile: Wow...that seriously makes me grin a really, really goofy grin. Teehee. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)**

**Dominicandragon: XDD Yes! Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)**

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**dAnnY's GiRl777: Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)**

**knowledge In The Hollow Noggin: I thought I made it obvious. XP Whoops. Yesh...sprinkles are awshum! XD ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)**

**Summers Rage: ZOMFGO! BWAHAHAHA(coughcough)HAHAHA! I won't say anything because I'm oober afraid that I'll let something slip. Heh.**

**Raven Of The Night676: XDD THANK YOU! (huggles) ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)**

**midnight scare: WHOA! (eye pop) That's a lot! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)**

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**Midnight: OMFGOSHNESSSSSSSS! You gotsta stop makeeng my head grow! I shall have revenge on yeh yet! (vengeful fist) ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)**

**Sorry it took so long to update! I had serious writer's block since I lost the paper where this chapter came from! ;; But that's okay, because now I have it back again! Erm...writing...non block I mean. Heh.**

**Oh yeah! You guys asked for fluff! So...I'm giving you as much as it seems to be right. I won't overdo it, but yes, there will be fluff. Because those requests were very hard not to accept...and I was planning on eet anyways. Teehee. **

**This is long. Very long. But...the most imPORTANT chapter in ALL of this story. So CLING to each detail...okay not really, but seriously. It's important. Jeebers, this is one of the longest chapters you will ever meet. (is zonked) But OH WELL! BWAHAHAHA...(shifty eyes) Stupid power rangers that like cheese...(walks away)  
...LONGEST A/N EVER! Nothing at the bottom except a small little word. Teehee.**

**Butch...owns...Danneh. (sobs) I...do not. Sadly. (sobs) I wish I did...but I'm not that imaginative. Heh. **

**Chapter Seven**

**Pleasurable Deceit **

"Sam!" Danny screeched, his eyes widening as he grabbed my hand. My grasp on the ledge let out.

His hand was clammy with sweat and fear, his eyes wide with anxiety. I gripped his forearm as tight as I possibly could, though it was of no use. I was so close to falling, so close to ending my life. He was halfway over the edge of the roof, his legs almost in the air. I could see beads of sweat forming on his lower cheek. The attempt was futile. Any second now I would be squashed like a bug.

My grip loosened. He let out a short gasp.

I blinked, and when I opened my eyes, Danny Fenton was no longer on the roof. In his place, gripping my shoulders, was a snowy white haired boy with neon green eyes.

My heart thudded violently against my chest as the gloved ghost tried to pull me up, but it was as if I were dead weight. My arms were limp as my shock made me release my grip on who I thought was Danny.

"Sam!" He called, flying downwards toward me. The next instant I was safe in the ghost boy's arms, hands cupped around his neck, breathing heavy, deep breathes as I peered at his face. He gazed back, still flying, yet not upward to the roof. To another place.

"Sam," He whispered. Honeysuckle replaced the scent of fresh air. How did this ghost know my name? And where was Danny? What did he do with him?

And then realization came crashing down.

I was petrified, gaping a large 'O' with my mouth at him, deeply studying each feature of his face. His eyes glowed with the intensity of the constellations above us. The tousled pearl white hair that draped over his eyes. The pained expression engraved upon his face. They looked so familiar. I _had_ seen them before.

And that crooked smile.

"Danny?" I whispered so softly, my eyes wide. The ghost boy bit his lip, saying nothing. My stomach squirmed as he hastily changed directions. The flying sensation, or just because of my theory, gave me endless butterflies.

"Danny," I repeated in a low mumble, surprised that I could actually find my face. "Is that you?"

He remained silent for a moment.

"What gave it away?"

Despite myself, I chuckled and buried my face under his chin. It was nearly impossible to restrain myself from doing so.

Danny lowered us down into the abandoned park, the trees making the moon-kissed lawn emit eerie shadows surround us. My legs were still shaking when I hit the ground, causing me to stumble slightly. Danny steadied me, his hand lingering on my arm for a moment before dropped it to his side.

I stood there, chafing my arms, with a furrowed brow, so many questions flowing through my mind. So many things I wanted to ask...needed to ask. I opened my mouth on several occasions, but no sound came out. Danny stood patiently, a blank expression on his face.

This couldn't be Danny. Danny was a normal fourteen-year old. He wasn't involved in any of those crimes committed in Amity Park, villain or hero. Phantom might have been, but not Danny. Danny was the boy that enjoyed Dumpty Humpty, liked to play endless hours of video games, watch television that made no sense. Not save the town from a ghost, get framed in a robbery, or...or _fly_.

And yet there was no way that this ghost could _not_ be Danny.

Before I knew it, my arms were locked around his neck, embracing him tightly. I laughed at my own stupidity. How could I be so oblivious to something so obvious?

"That's three times you've saved my life," I informed him. "And I didn't even know it was you."

Danny stiffened at my sudden act of emotion and softly patted my back.

"Let's...not aim for four," Danny hinted. I laughed and let go of my grip.

"How did--" Danny placed a finger on my lip, silencing me.

"About five months ago...Dad...he made this...this ghost portal. It lets ghosts from another dimension into our world. He was working on it for years by himself. Since before I was even born. But it didn't work...so I went into erm...find out...what went wrong like...like if he didn't have it plugged in...or he left something important in there that he forgot to get." Danny shrugged and dropped his hand.

"But something...something went...wrong." He examined his silver, gloved hand. "There was this...this explosion and...and when it was all over I..." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Sorry, I'm...I'm not the world's best storyteller."

I chuckled.

"You're good enough for me."

I huddled in his jacket, amazed at how much more warmth I was given due to it. It surprised me, because it was an extremely cold night, despite the lack of wind at this exact moment.

"Are you cold?" Danny asked me, taking a small step closer toward me.

I shook my head.

"No. I'm...I'm fine. Really. But...maybe we should head back."

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "Pam and Jack'll be scared to death if we don't show up soon."

I smirked to myself.

That or something else.

"Where have you two _been_?" Pam exclaimed as Danny and I clambered into the living room, rosy red cheeks and out of breath. Danny and I exchanged a deviant grin as I casually slipped off his jacket and handed it to him with a shaky hand.

"Nowhere."

"Tuck, please" I moaned exasperatedly over the phone, squinting around my sunlit room. "_Please_ forgive me!"

Tucker sighed an annoyed and yet grateful sigh.

"Fine," He snapped. I could almost hear the hint of happiness in his tone.

"Look, I'm really, really sorry and--"

"Sam, it's fine I just--"

"No! Listen to me, Tuck." I had a plan and whether he was going to help or not, he would listen to it. "I'm gonna make it up to you."

"How so?" Tucker challenged.

"I just got off the phone with Val," I told him. Valerie had called me earlier today and spent two hours having me decide what she would wear on her date with Danny tonight, which turned out to be a movie and dinner. Nothing too serious, I was thankful for. Maybe Danny _wasn't_ like Valerie, and _didn't_ want to rush into things like she so obviously did.

"Do you have a point?" Tucker asked harshly.

"Yes," I said through clenched teeth. "If you would let me _talk_ maybe I could get my point across!"

I was ecstatic. Hyper. Overjoyed. Last night's scene had been re-playing constantly in my head, over and over, ceasing to end. The discovery that had been founded, the information given, the--

"What is it?" Tucker's voice broke through my thoughts.

"You and me spy on Danny and Val's date."

Tucker groaned at the idea. I sighed in relief. Of course he wouldn't let me know that he wanted to do this. I couldn't blame him. Yet, the groan symbolized that my idea was just what he had been planning on doing so himself.

"She gave me all the details so--"

"I dunno, Sam" Tucker intervened.

"What?" I asked, rolling onto my back, causing the bed to squeak loudly. "Why not?"

"Invasion of Valerie's privacy!" Tucker debated. "And besides, what if we get caught?"

"If we get caught, then we'll just say that _we're _on a date."

Tucker's coughing fit was so loud that I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

"Sam, that's crazy! I want to get Val _back_, not push her away!" I didn't mention that he never _had_ her to begin with, therefore he shouldn't have been so appalled by the idea.

"No," I said, rolling my eyes and flipping onto my stomach, embracing a pillow and resting my chin on it. "It's _not_ crazy. Nothing makes a girl like Val want a guy more than knowing that she can't...have...him."

I nearly dropped the phone at the astonishment of what I was clearly oblivious of.

The reason that Valerie was so attached to the idea of her and Danny was because some sub-conscious part of her understood and grasped the concept that Danny was unavailable. She _did_ know that she couldn't have him, yet challenged herself to getting him anyway.

Did this apply to me, as well?

"Sam?" Tucker bellowed. "Sam!"

I blinked.

"What? Sorry...spaced out."

Tucker sighed.

"What are they gonna do on their...date, anyway?"

"Oh," I said. "Uhm...a movie and then bowling." Nothing too serious.

Tucker was silent for a moment.

"Time?"

"Six. They're gonna be meeting up at the theater." Valerie's details were so precise that _I _could be the one attending the date. A sharp pain tugged in my stomach at the thought.

"Look. Meet me at The Cinnemax and we'll just...'bump' into them if we get caught. It's flawless." And it was. I was sure of it.

Tucker agreed and we hung up, lost in different thoughts. I let the phone drop onto my pillow as I sat up and glanced at the blinds obscuring most of the sunlight from entering my room, yet streaks here and there made me cringe. I wasn't used to being up this early. Normally I slept in.

Last night's scenes left me shaken and scared, yet somewhat happy. Thankfully, Pam had never figured out about my near-death experience, nor had Jack (I would be eternally grateful that the pair of them were extremely gullible). Danny was the only one, aside from me, that was aware of it. And I intended on keeping it that way. I was excited that _he_ had chosen me to reveal his secret to, purposefully or not. He chose _me_ over _Valerie_, even if he had known me for a few days before meeting her.

Danny's shocked face entered my mind, his hair as pale as the moon itself after explaining everything to me. Was my expressionless response that much of a giveaway about how astonished I was? Or was he expecting me to run away in terror after his explanation? He was too confusing...

I sighed and fell back onto my bed. Last night...each small detail zoomed rapidly through my head. How close Danny and I had been...being rescued...finally realizing the truth...the warmth of Danny's jacket as he flew us back to the condominiums, the fluttering sensation in my stomach for other reasons than the feeling of flight...

This must have been what Danny had been trying to tell me for so long. All of those interruptions...maybe not _telling_ me would strike my attention. I most likely would have laughed at what he would have said, thinking that it was a joke. Maybe he was just supposed to show me the visualization to let me know the truth.

I had Valerie beat. So she got to spend a few hours with Danny tonight. I chuckled. I got to discover his most inner, most protected secret. I got to fly _in his arms_. I was the one who was lucky enough to watch the sunset with Danny on a rooftop. _Nothing_ could possibly beat that.

A smug expression fell upon my face, and, for once, I didn't feel envious toward Valerie at all.

"Where were you?" I screeched as Tucker entered the lobby of the theater. It was nearly vacant, seeing as the movies playing were about to begin, if they hadn't already. "It's almost half past six! The previews are almost over!"

Tucker adjusted his baret. I smirked. He must have been getting ready, trying to look his best in case we did get caught.

"Sorry. It's kind of hard to...to walk twelve blocks in twenty minutes."

I rolled my eyes at his lame excuse.

"You should've left earlier," I snapped as I dug my hand into the pockets of my skirt and retrieved a small bit of change.

Tucker scoffed.

"Nice to see you, too." I checked my watch. It was half past.

"I'll go get us seats." I stuffed the change into his hands.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Tucker asked, looking up from the money. Was he _that_ blunt?

"Get snacks! Just so we _look_ like we wanted to be here," I explained loudly, already on my way to _Ties With Randy_'s doors.

The large screen was blank just as the previews finished their course. I scanned the crowded theater, hoping that Valerie's hot pink shirt, something that she picked out over the phone this morning while talking to me, would stand out.

The room brightened, and a flash of pink caught in the corner of my eye as I stomped on an elderly man's foot.

"Watch it!" He groaned. I ignored him and plopped into a seat one row behind Valerie and Danny.

"I'm really glad you invited me, Danny," I heard Valerie coo as I slumped into my seat, drawing up the hood of the black hoodie that I had brought along.

"It was..." Danny's head bobbed slightly, apparently shifting his position. "Me too."

The dialogue in the movie made it hard to understand what the pair were talking about, considering they were being polite and whispering. I casually leaned forward, yet tried not to make it seem noticeable.

"Really?" Valerie asked. I could see her eyelids flutter from the space between the two seats.

"Uhm...yeah. Totally."

Valerie giggled.

"Danny, you're so sweet!" She said flirtatiously as she kissed him on the cheek.

Despite blowing my cover, despite all that I told myself _not_ to do no matter _what_, I moaned.

"Give me a _break_," I muttered, a little too loudly. I slapped my right hand over my mouth and leaned back into my seat, trying to act as if I were enjoying watching a man frolic on the beach with his one and only true love.

"Sam?" I heard Danny ask. I lowered my eyes from the screen to find Danny and Valerie giving me peculiar looks. "What are you doing here?"

"Dead Zombies VIII was sold out so I had to come and watch this..."

"But you _hate_ movies like this," Valerie pointed out.

"Erm..."

"Hey Sa--" I heard Tucker whisper quietly from beside me. I bit my lip as I turned around to find a large popcorn in his arms with many chocolate bars.

"Hey, Tuck. Did you get that popcorn that you promised you'd get for..._us_?" I emphasized on the word to see if it would spark their interest. It didn't seem to be of any concern to them in the least.

Tucker seemed stunned.

"Oh, yeah, of...of course." He thrust the massive cup of popcorn in my hands (I wasn't prepared for this, causing a lot of the corn to fall to the ground and into my hair) as he sat down beside me, still in awe. Danny and Valerie exchanged puzzled glances.

"What's going on?" Tucker whispered in my ear. I opened my mouth to give him the answer.

"What are you guys doing here?" Valerie asked before I could answer Tucker's question. A large fake smile was placed upon her lips, throwing off her seemingly ecstatic surprise and replacing it with the true anger hidden beneath it.

I rook a large handful of the popcorn and stuffed it into my mouth, avoiding eye contact with Danny and Valerie, yet it was too hard to resist. I looked up to find Valerie's facial expression almost in a glare, while Danny's was just blank. It was hard to imagine that he was the ghost boy that "haunted" Amity Park at the moment.

"I thought you two were gonna go see that other movie," I lied, swallowing the food.

Valerie raised an eyebrow.

"No..."

"Oh...my bad."

"So what are you two guys doing here?" Danny asked us.

I glanced from Danny to Valerie. Valerie's arm was resting on Danny's armrest, her body scooted too close to Danny for my own comfort. All of those thoughts of releasing my jealousy this morning suddenly evaporated.

"We're on a _date_," I answered simply, yet slightly louder than I anticipated. Valerie's glare deepened.

"You two--"

"Yes!" I told her. "Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson are. On. A. _Date_."

"Shut it, Sam," Tucker whispered in my ear. I ignored him.

Valerie remained silent. I watched as she looked from Tucker to me, then back to Tucker again, obviously trying to find how any of this came to be.

Danny did the same, yet his face seemed to be twisted in a mix between shock and...pain? I erased that thought from my mind.

"I didn't know that you two were--" He began.

"Shh!" Our four heads turned to the direction of the shushing, only to find the elderly man whose foot I stepped on giving us a glare.

"Let's just watch the movie," Danny whispered, eying the three of us. I must have been paranoid, because I was sure that his eyes rested upon mine for a second longer than the other two. I shook the thought out of my head.

"_If he did,_"I ensured myself. "_It's just to see if you...maybe told Tuck or Val...or something._"

We nodded at the idea. I watched as Danny's flawless, godlike, amazingly--

"_Shut up, Sam._"

The movie was extremely hard to get into if you weren't involved with someone whom you could care about, knowing that they felt the same way. Randy, the main character, and his girlfriend Sandy apparently were in love, trying to conquer all of the challenges that love faced. I sighed. No gore. No guts. Nothing but a gooey love story.

I shifted in my seat at what I hoped was a scene nearing the end of the movie. Valerie was whispering something in Danny's ear, but I couldn't filter out the loud noise from the movie to comprehend what she was saying at all.

I looked over to Tucker, who had fallen asleep halfway through the movie. Was our plan making Valerie (and some particle in my mind made me hope Danny, as well) jealous? Did she finally realize that Danny was _not_ her soul mate? I sighed and leaned back against my seat, avoiding watching the movie, trying to see Danny's reaction to what Valerie had told him.

Nothing.

When the lights turned on and everybody in the theater room began to stand up and stretch their legs, I sighed in relief and immediately stood up, the popcorn dumping onto the floor.

"That was an _amazing_ movie, Danny, don't you think?" Valerie cooed. "So sweet, so--"

"Boring," I finished for her. Danny chuckled.

"Do...you two want to come bowling with us?" Danny asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Valerie bit her lip.

"Like a double date?" She asked him, slightly outraged.

"I guess...I mean--"

"We'd _love_ to," I said, noticing Danny's uncomfortable position. He shot me a grateful smile.

Danny wasn't lying about his high bowling average. He was _amazing_, having the rest of us beaten by a landslide. I didn't have very good hand-eye coordination, so I had the lowest score: ten. I didn't mind though. I'd chose bowling over some gooey love story any day.

"Great job, Danny!" Valerie squealed as Danny sat down in a seat beside Valerie at the Coca-Cola themed table. I gave him a feeble smile. "Another strike!"

"Thanks..." He said, drumming his fingers on the table. "Whose turn is it?"

Valerie looked up to the television screens a few yards above our heads.

"Tucker's," She stated, looking to my left.

Tucker stood up and hurried over to the ball rack. I fixed my eyes on a crumb that seemed to be engraved into the table, scratching at it with my fingers. I didn't care what this was, so long as I didn't have to face the pair.

"I didn't know you liked Tuck," Valerie said softly. I looked up to find Valerie giving me a grin, Danny examining the napkin dispenser.

"Erm...you know what?" Danny offered, standing up. The sound of metal against metal screeched through our ears. "I think I'm going to get me something to eat. You two want anything?"

"I'm good," I declined.

"Seriously, Sam, it's cool."

And then he smiled that crooked smile.

My stomach flipped into my throat, and I could feel the heat rising from my neck. I took a silent yet deep breath and shrugged.

"I dunno, ice cream, then." My voice was too hoarse to pass by.

"Same here, Danny," Valerie said, fluttering her eyelids once more. I clenched my jaw shut.

Danny walked away, running his fingers through his hair.

"Isn't he dreamy?" Valerie sighed.

"What?" I asked, slightly taken aback.

"Danny," She said. "He's...he's _wonderful_, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever."

"Sam?" Valerie said slowly.

"What?" I asked irritably.

Hurt flashed through her eyes for a split second.

"_Good_," I thought.

"Why didn't you tell me you liked him?"

The heat I had been feeling from Danny's smile turned to ice. I was so close to hyperventilation. How did she know?

"Wh-what?" I asked shakily, twirling the string of my hoodie around my index finger. "What do you mean?"

"You set us _up_," Valerie said laughing. "Well...tried to, anyway." Tried to? I'm the reason that you're here with Danny in the first place!

"What are you talking--"

"I guess I never saw it coming," Valerie shrugged. "He's...nice." I furrowed my brow.

"Wh--"

"But why didn't you tell me you liked Tucker?"

I gaped.

So she was talking about _Tucker_.

"Oh...erm..." I said, looking over to Tucker, attempting to knock down one pin placed on the far left side. "I...thought that once you got over Dan--"

"What do you mean?"

I sighed and shook my head.

"Never mind." I dropped the strings on my hoodie.

Tucker joined us at the table, taking the seat beside me so he was now sitting across from Valerie.

"How'd you do?" I asked him, a smirk on my face. Tucker glowered at me.

"Better than you two," He said. Out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn that he winked at Valerie.

Danny returned with four ice cream cones and a large bag of what I assumed were fries placed on a tray. He set the tray down on the table and sat down in the last vacant seat, dumping the fries out so we could eat them.

"Who's turn is it, now?" Tucker asked, popping a fry into his mouth.

"Sam's," Danny answered. I groaned.

"Don't miss the gutter!" Tucker joked.

"Wonderful," I said, standing up. Danny laughed and stood up as well.

"Be right back," He informed Valerie and Tucker, walking along with me to retrieve my borrowed bowling ball.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, careful not to slip on the floor as I stepped upon the wood. I refused to wear the required bowling shoes, so I got stuck with my stockings.

"You're in serious need of some pointers," Danny explained, grinning at me. I couldn't help but grin back as I picked up the heavy, deep purple ball.

"Ego, much?" I teased as I gingerly walked to the lane.

Danny chuckled.

"So, Your Highness," I said tapping on the ball with my index finger. "What hints will you spare me?"

"For one," Danny offered, inching closer to me. I took a deep breath to stop myself from fainting at the closeness. "Just drop the ball."

"Some advice," I said with a grin, holding out my ball, ready to drop it.

"Yeah," Danny said, winking at me. "It is."

Before I knew it, Danny had vanished from my side.

"Danny?" I asked, turning every which way. "Wh--"

"Drop the ball," a light voice commanded. I sighed in relief. This _had_ to be one of his...ghost powers.

"Erm..." I said, slightly shaken. I felt the ball slip from my hands.

I watched in awe as the ball gracefully slid down the lane, directly into the pins.

"Strike!" I heard Danny chant from behind me. I gasped and turned around.

"Where did you--"

"Let's just say you got some extra help," He said with another wink. I felt my stomach jolt.

"Erm...okay," I said, stuffing my hands into the pocket of my hoodie as we departed back to the table.

"How'd you do that, Sam?" Tucker demanded as I sat down. "That was amazing!"

I looked over to Danny, who scooped a bit of his ice cream with a fry, his ears a light shade of pink.

"Inspiration," I said dully, though my insides were giddy.

"That's so gross, Danny," Valerie scoffed as Danny stuffed the ice cream coated fry into his mouth.

"No it's not," Danny and I argued together. I had the habit of dipping my fries into my ice cream since I was a little kid; and I received various rude comments from Valerie.

"Hey...Sam?" Danny asked me, dipping a fry into his ice cream. I did the same, just so I wouldn't have to look up.

"Yeah?" I asked, slowly making a hole in the ice cream from the fry.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked me. I looked up.

"About--"

"Outside?"

I furrowed my brow. It was raining outside. What could he possibly want that was so important that he couldn't tell me in the far corner of the bowling alley?

I looked from Valerie to Tucker, and then to Danny. Despite the searing pain that I had endured during this "double date," I had enjoyed myself (aside from the movie). I must have been using my imagination throughout the date, for it seemed to me that Danny and Valerie seemed to be in lesser contact than Danny and _me_. Tucker must have had a good time as well. Valerie payed some sort of attention to him.

"Sure..." I said, raising an eyebrow, standing up. I quickly put my combat boots on, something that I had a high skill in doing.

Danny stood up as well and led me outside of the bowling alley.

"What is it?" I asked him, standing underneath the roofed part of the entrance, bringing my hood up and crossing my arms. Danny chuckled and grabbed my hand (what _did_ he want?), pulling me out of the way from the entrance and out into the cold, rainy weather.

"What are you--?" I asked as he led me into the nearby alley. Rain pelted against my back, though I didn't seem to feel it. I was too occupied with not vomiting.

Danny pressed his hands firmly against the wall, his arms on either side of me, caging me in. My heart thudded against my chest. What was he going to tell me? To back off? Did he know that I was secretly in love with him?

A deviant twinkle was in his eyes. I furrowed my brow and opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Danny chuckled.

"Sam." He spoke slowly; I was hanging onto every ounce of breath that he inhaled. "What would you do...if I kissed you?"

I could feel my eyes widen, my stomach jolting, and the knot that was already placed in my stomach tighten. Was I dreaming? I bit my tongue, just to ensure myself that this was reality.

It hurt.

My opened mouth was silent, still struck with awe.

"What if we kiss?" His voice was low, smooth and slow. I couldn't help but note that it was kind of...sexy.

The only sound that I could get out of my mouth was a soft, "But--" before he pressed a finger to my lips.

"Do you want to?" He asked. I tried my hardest to prevent fainting to the floor, yet I was so full of apprehension that I could hardly hear what he had just said.

"Do you?" I mumbled against his finger, my voice muffled.

"Yeah," He said, pressing his hand against the wall, caging me in once more. He leaned in slightly, his nose almost brushable against mine. "I do." His honeysuckle breath blew into my face. I felt my lip quiver. "More than you know."

I had to be dreaming.

"M-me too," I breathed. "But...but we can't--"

"No," Danny intervened. "We shouldn't."

I didn't say anything, so he continued.

"So...if I want to kiss...and you want to kiss..." His voice trailed off. I watched as a raindrop slid off of his nose and to the ground.

"But...we can't, Danny," I shook my head, resting my head against the wall. "We...If we kiss..." Danny smiled my favorite crooked smile, causing the breath to be abruptly knocked out of me. He leaned in closer, the tip of his nose touching mine.

"If we kiss," He said, his lips barely an inch apart from my trembling ones. If the wall hadn't been supporting me, I was positive that I would have fallen down.

"_Oh, no_," I thought as he softly pressed his lips against mine.

**((Author's Note: Only fourteen pages. Not so bad...I thought it would be longer...now...**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I'm sorry it took so long to put this up, but my internet was down, I got sick, and, of course, that stupid writer's block. Grr. (pokes writer's block) Erm...PLEASE REVIEW...once again. You get more and more treats this time around!**

**Jeebers...this was such a long and RUSHED chapter...(sobs) Oh well. Next one will be better. Promise.**

**Preview is/will be located in my profile.  
Once again: I HATE advertising but check out my profile for SoDFF, the most reliable place to post your Danny Phantom Fanfiction...blahblahblah lolz.  
**

**FS))**


	8. Aftermath

**((I think I spelled deceit wrong in the last chapter title...; oopsie dasie! XD**

**(sigh) Sadly enough, this story is coming to an end...It's very sad, I know. But I'm curious (and I'm going to put this at the bottom of this chapter as well) what do you guys think of this story in Danny's POV? (thinks) I've already got the first chapter, and it all planned out, because, whether I'm doing it or not, I'm not going to be able to reveal as much as I could if this story was in third person. Sadly enough, though, when I write them I use big words that I don't even know are English and make the paragraphs too long. (sigh) Anyway. Off topic. Whoops.**

**_If We Kiss_ got a lot more reviews from new reviews! I mean...yeah. That's right. XDD Weird. Not that I mind, heh. I enjoy that. ;DDD **

**Treats...treats...(searches in pockets) I hope that I didn't eat them...(looks under bed) AHA! I found them. XDD  
+ ish a really really fattening piece of cake that my grandma baked! teehee  
(glomps all of you guys until FS is pretty sure that you're about to suffocate) Oops. Sorry...can't help it. YOU GUYS WANNA MAKE MY HEAD BECOME A PLANET! YOU ARE PLANNING A CONSPIRACY! Grrr!  
Summers Rage: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Thanks! Yeah...it is. Very...disturbing to write about...even though I know what happens and...erm...yeah. Heh  
passing4insane: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Aww! Thankulsh!**

**KittyKiChi: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ XDD thanks!**

**animesk8ergirl: AWWWW! THANKS!  
KITHN (yes...my fingers hurt from typing out your name. XDD J/k): ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ OOOMFGGOSHNESS! (glomps you) I read that and my head must have inflated to the size of...of Jupiter! Or...or Pluto at least. ;DD Seriously, though. Thank you so much! Sadly, yes. But I may do this story again in Danny's POV...depends, though...(shifty eyes)**

**Phantom Of A Rose: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Aww! Yes, it would! (squeal and sigh) OMFG I'm a HEALER WIF MY WRITING? (big bright eyes) Haha, I think you're right about the other option, though. But I've never heard that about my stories before. Thanks so much! AWWW THANK YOU! **

**definenormalAB: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ thanks!**

**Raven of the Night676: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ (evil laughter) BWAHAHAHA(coughcough)HAHA!**

**Save Danny69: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Lovely name, by the way. Anyhoo, thanks! That seriously means a lot:DDDD**

**Phantom101: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Teehee. 'Cuz I'm evil, that's why. -. Thank you!**

**midnight scare: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Grr...GET TO UPDATING DANGEET! (crosses arms) Hmph. Thank you, btw!**

**Zirra Nova: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Daw! (jumps up and down from joy) That's so nice! Thankieapoo!**

**look for the girl with the broken smile: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ OMFG! (is oober shocked) WHOA! (faints) Thank you! **

**Nightwingstar: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ THANKS! Teehee.**

**Giggleaid: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Thanks! And you're right! It's not! I love it to death! (gets Mikki Dees fries and ice cream) Yummeh!**

**domicandragon: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ GAH! My third cousin three times removed got a concussion from consistantly banging his head on the screen! Heh. Thanks, though!**

**DannYsGiRl777: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Jeebers! Thanks! Teehee.**

**LilacOcean: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ Jeebers...(is so shocked) that's one of the longest reviews I've ever gotten! Erm...were those questions rhetorical? Because uhm...heh. Wow. That made tears well up in my eyes. (wipes eye) Gawrsh...(huggles you)**

**anonymous: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ okay! XDD  
Midnight: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+ GAWRSHNESS! (faints from your long and oober detailed review that gives FS goosebumps) I'm still spazzing over that. Teehee. **

**NO MORE WRITER'S BLOCK! I am so happy! It's on account of reading all of my past Rps and deciding to put one up on SoDFF! (check out my profile teehee. Sorry, I gotsta advertise).  
Anyways...I have to add this because I am ecstatic and still spazzing out over it.**

**THE DANNY PHANTOM SEASON THREE 1-6 EPISODE TITLES ARE LOCATED IN MY PROFILE (for those of you that don't go on DPOF) if you want to see them! Teehee.  
Now...WITH CHAPTER EIGHT! (only (including this chapter) three more installments to go!...I think)  
Oh, and IF WE KISS GOT PUT INTO ANOTHER C2! (squeals) I'm so excited. Thank you Bakura o aishimasu! (if you did put it there. I think that you're the only staff member, though. Heh)**

**Ooooh by the way! This chapter contains an extensive amount of fluff. Be sure you have your floss with you.**

**Butch owns Danny. I own..I own...(looks around room) I own that sock. The sock of d00m! (gasp)**

**Chapter Eight**

**Aftermath**

I could feel my body tense, my lungs holding in the air that seemed unable to escape. My heart was thudding rapidly against my chest, and I feared that it would burst at any second. My fingers were sweaty, though my legs and lower body felt like ice. My surroundings were rapidly spinning; spinning so fast that I had to close my eyes just so I wouldn't collapse on the spot.

I couldn't decipher what was happened after I closed my eyes. I was too occupied with letting the air out of my lungs to do anything else.

"You're cold," Danny pointed out at some time. Apparently our lips weren't in contact anymore. I couldn't remember departing. Just the consideration of the feel of his lips on mine sent me into a near-hypervenalation. "Do you want to go inside?"

"No." My answer seemed to come out of my mouth before I could even comprehend what he had just said.

Danny chuckled and I opened my eyes. His face was barely an inch away from mine; I could hear his soft and soothing breathing as the air exited out of his nose.

We stood there, so close, for what seemed like an eternity. His lively crystal blue eyes smoldered mine. I had read about this...this feeling in various books, seen actors portray it in films, and I was pretty sure that I had gathered enough information to realize that, corny as it may be later on, the aftermath of a kiss was something that you would want to savor, so tuck in as much of the glow that hung in the still air.

The experience, however, was much more better. Danny no longer caged me in by my upper torso; his hands must have slid on the wall and were now in level with my hips.

"You sure?" I breathed in that wondrous scent. Honeysuckle would never smell (or taste) the same again.

"Yeah," I answered quietly. "Positive."

Though it was still raining and I could feel my legs shaking from being so cold, I was utterly repulsed by the idea to depart from this alley.

Danny's hands slowly slid down the brick wall and cupped them in mine. I was taken aback by this gesture and looked up at him, a puzzled expression written clear across my face. Danny smirked and gripped my right hand, using his own to lift the hood of my hoodie so the rain no longer drenched my head, though it was already soaked so it didn't matter.

"Come on," He whispered, tugging at my hand, walking backwards in the direction opposite of the bowling alley.

"Wha--" I asked blankly. "Where?"

Danny gave me that crooked smile, and I soon found myself less than an inch away from his body. My legs had turned to goo; I had no restraint whatsoever.

"Just come on." His voice was musical with laughter.

"But—but what about Tuck?" I asked him. "And Valer--" I broke off. A heap of guilt was suddenly plowed on top of me.

I had just kissed the boy my best friend was totally infatuated with.

I felt the blood boil underneath my skin. How could I do such an evil thing? Valerie...she was my _friend_! I had just deceived her. Done the worst thing that a friend could possibly do! Our friendship would be ruined because I made this massive mistake.

I looked up up Danny's shining face, and the woeful guilt evaporated. What did Valerie know about Danny, anyway? What did she _care_? As long as she could stand next to this godlike creature, Valerie would do anything. She was never her...brutal self around Danny; always a different personality. Danny wasn't like that around her, nor anyone else. I wasn't like that either, that I was aware of. Maybe slightly clumsier, but not a different me.

"They'll be fine," Danny said with a grin. "An hour together'll do them some good."

I furrowed my brow, still delusional from the kiss. What was he talking about?

As I realized what he mean, a smile gradually spread across my face. We were going to take off, leaving Valerie and Tucker to reconcile.

"Are you sure--"

"Sam," Danny said lowly, slightly bending down to so we were now eye level. I gulped and then mentally tried to shove all of the butterflies out of my stomach, only causing more to begin fluttering their wings. He released his grip on my hand and cupped his own under my chin, pulling my face toward his. "I promise."

I studied his bright, big blue eyes, so full of truth and honesty. I couldn't doubt them. I chuckled at my own stupidity. I was pathetic.

"What's so funny?" Danny whispered, his lips almost immobile.

"Just...thinking about how...horrible you are."

"Oh, really?" Danny challenged, raising an eyebrow and dropping his hand. "How so?"

"Making me fall for you."

Danny smiled my favorite crooked smile and leaned in to kiss me once more. I closed my eyes, ignoring my fluttering stomach. Stupid butterflies. This time I tried my best not to faint...there was no wall to catch my fall.

"Then I guess that you're incredibly evil," He said, his lips brushing against my own.

I stood, not moving, in awed silence. Did he metaphorically mean what I thought...no wished that he meant?

Danny took a small step backward. So small that I could barely feel his warmth lift off of me. He let go of my hand and gave me a grin.

"Goin' ghost," He said.

Neon blue rings formed around his middle, splitting apart. One half spread throughout his torso, the other his lower body.

Everything around us seemed to move in slow motion as Danny Fenton became the white haired, green eyed phantom that "haunted" Amity Park.

It was my first time to actually _witness_ the transformation, and it was so breathtaking. Wondrous.

The ghost boy held out a hand, which I eagerly took. He placed his arm firmly around my soaking wet waist. My feet were swept from under me as he lifted me up, and I immediately wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

Danny chuckled at my obvious apprehension as he adjusted me in his arms so he was now holding me bridal style. I still clung to his neck, though, due to my what I assumed phobia of flying; Danny or no Danny.

"Don't worry," Danny said, as if reading my thoughts with a slight chuckle. "I've got you." I slightly released my death grip

When Danny flew off, a rush of both wind and rain slapped me in the face. I ducked my head, causing my hood to sweep onto my back.

I was anxious...curious to know where he was taking us. Surely not onto another rooftop. The harsh drizzle might morph into a storm. I wanted to ask, but I feared that after I broke this seemingly necessary silence, we would lapse into an awkward one. But I couldn't resist.

"Erm..." I said, looking down at the roof of the bowling alley. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Danny teased. I frowned.

"That's not fair," I pointed out, my frown quivering. It was hard to be annoyed by him.

Danny chuckled and used his hand closest to my head to my head to lift up my hood.

A blue puff of smoke flew out of Danny's mouth and he gasped.

"Oh, no," He said grimly, stopping in mid-air. I furrowed my brow and tried to see through the rain about what was so horrible.

"What--" Danny turned around quickly, descending to the ground. What was going on?

"Hold on tight," He ordered. Oblivious to what was going on, I obeyed and clasped my hands as tight as possible around his neck.

He took me to my neighborhood, where the lights inside my home were off. I looked up at him, but he had his head turned to another direction.

Danny lowered me onto the doorstep, his eyes the only thing that lit our surroundings.

"What's going on?" I demanded, edging closer to the door. Danny shook his head.

"Just a ghost." I shuddered and he gave me that crooked smile at my reaction. "See you on Monday." I felt my feet backing up toward the door, listening intently as the rain pattered against the roof. Why was I so weak?

"Right." I said, still smoldered by the smile. "Monday."

I watched as he scanned the rainy sky, furrowed his brow and took off, propping one foot on the door.

Tonight's scenario played over and over through my head. My heart was beating with outrageous excitement. Was it common to feel this way? Or was I one of the pathetically weak beings? Whatever the cause...I liked it. I felt stronger, in a way, yet weaker in many others. My mind buzzed excitedly. For once, I couldn't wait for Monday...or another one of Jack's dinners.

After I fumbled with the key to opening the door and managed to push it open, my hands still shaking from excitement, I was greeted with a surprise.

Pam, whom I assumed would be at work when I got home, was sitting on the couch, staring blankly down at the phone in her hands. I shut the door, still clinging onto the emotions that were overwhelming myself so far. Why she was home this early, I did not know. Nor, at the moment, did I care.

But what she said, however, made me want to drop to my knees. What she confided in me left me in a state of shock. My feeling of giddy evaporated. I tried my hardest to cling onto that wonderful emotion that made _me _feel powerful, trying to hard to to fall off, landing in a pit of misery. But the look upon her face was too demanding. Too serious.

I felt my hand release its grip onto the emotion, and I was falling toward the endless pit of misery.

**((Author's Note: Okay. Very short. Sort of rushed. Very fluffy. Erm...confusing, maybe? I dunno. You'll find out, whatever the...emotion you're feeling right now.**

**So.**

**(smug)**

**Yes, well. The ending may be predictable, or you may just have to wait until I update to see for yourself. Not many installments left, I'm afraid. Normally, this would have been the LAST CHAPTER. (faints) But I wanted to get more plotty. No big deal. Heh. Or is it?**

**Reviews...they are appreciated. Like...very...very...appreciated. They make me eager to start on the next chapter and the more that come, the more eager I get. Teehee. Plus...YOU GET MUFFINS! (faints)**

**Okay. Once again...I shall advertise. **

**SoDFF has an R.P.G section...which will totally get you off of writer's block. Or bring you to more FF idears. Which is good. (jumps for joy) Teehee. SOrry. **

**FS))**


	9. Explanations

**((Author's Note: Whooa that cliffhanger thing was kind of over-dramatic. Oh well! I can emphasize on the things that happen because...because I hold the magical staff of emphasizing. BWAHAHAHA! (shifty eyes)**

**WHOA this took a while to get out. JEEPERS! I'm really sorry about that. I've got about...a zillion story ideas buzzing in my head and I didn't want to let them go. (clings to ideas)**

**Now, before I give out treats...I must say this.**

**OMFG101REVIEWSTHISISTHEMOSTCOOLESTTHINGINTHEWORLDIAMSTILLSPAZZINGOUTOVERTHATYOUGUYSARETHEBESTESTTHINGSINTHEWHOLEWORLDANDIMSURPIRISEDYOUGUYSCOULDNTHEARMYSQUEALWHENIFOUNDTHATOUTANDTHANKYOUSOMUCHANDOMFGTHANKYOU! (screams on and on and on and on and on)**

**Yes. 101 REVIEWS BABY! W00t! (jumps up and down)THANK YOU SO MUCH! **

**Imaginary Whisper: XDD THANK YOU! (glomp) ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**jessicajason: Teehee. Yesh I am. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**Dark Lady Of The Sith: Whicheeeever muffin you like! I gots a magikey stick. XP THANK YOUS! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**annonymous: heh. ; Hope this is soon enough. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**Passing4insane: Thanks! Yes...he is. I'm not good with describing Danny. XDD But oh wellz. Live and learn, I assume. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**Save Danny69: Thank you! I love your name by the way. (winky wink) ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**Phantom Of a Rose: OMFGMEHTOO! o0 THANKYOU! (glomp) (zips lips) I shan't say what is to come. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**Wolffeather: ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3 Teehee. You'll see.**

**Summers rage: Aww! (huggles) THANK YOU! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**Raven Of The Night 676: Erm...I've been hiding under a rock so I dunno if that's good or bad. XDD But thanks for reviewing anyways! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**dAnnYsGiRl777: Gah! Thank you for that review! I didn't know it was a book! (pokes friend that came up with title and summary after FS gave her her idea...) Teehee. But thanks! That seriously made my jaw drop to the floor...er...close enough anyhoo. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**midnight scare: Yesh it was short. XP Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**look for the girl with the broken smile: AWW! (glomp) Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**Zirra Nova: Me too. Heh. Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**muffin: o.o I am in luff with your name. 0.0 THANK YOU! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**Nnyletak: Teehee. Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**iLOVEyou.dork: Oh.My.GOSH! (squeezes you till your eyeballs pop out) Oopsies. Sorry. But YOU'RE MY 100TH REVIEWER! OMFGOMFGOMFGOMFGOMFGOMFGOMFG! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**knowledge In The Hollow Noggin: AWW! OMFG! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3 THANK YOU SOO MUCH! **

**Midnight: . THANK YOU! (glompifying nation) Teehee. Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3**

**Now...(pokes lame chapter title) I'm not good wif titles guys. Don't blame meh. -.-**

**BUTCH OWNS DANNY! I...(sigh) do not. I own...I own...I own my...oooh I own my totally awshum Danny plushie! (clings to plushie and runs away)**

**Chapter Nine**

**Explanations**

"Pack your bags," Pam said stiffly, glancing up to meet my anxious gaze.

"Excuse me?" I asked her, biting my lip. What was going on?

"Jeremy called." My stomach tightened. Jeremy, my father, only called if things were an emergency or was in desperate need to correspond with me. "He's made the arrangements."

I furrowed my brow, shaking in my boots. And not because I was cold.

"What...what arrangements?" I could feel my voice growing shakier by the second. I had an inkling of what she was talking about, though I was clinging to hope that I was wrong.

Pam set the phone beside her on the sofa, and I took a small, obstinate step out of the threshold.

"I know it took a while honey." She gave me her forced smile. The only smile she gave me to try to lighten my spirits.

Now, however, it only made them dampen.

"What took a while?" I was outraged at her obliviousness. Would she get to the point? I could feel my blood boiling beneath my skin from both anxiety and rage. I was torn between longing to hear what she would say...and wanting to bolt out of this house.

"He's...enrolled you up for school in Denver," She explained. "Great education. Probably better than Casper." My eyes widened.

I was right.

"No," I breathed, though I was sure that Pam couldn't hear me.

About four ago, a bit before school started and the ghosts began appearing in Amity Park more than ever, I confided in my father over the phone that I wanted to live with him; to get away from Amity Park as soon as possible. I was terrified of those creatures that haunted the neighborhoods, caused residents of the town to shudder in fear inside of their households.

"It's like being caged up," I remember myself telling Jeremy over the phone. "I need out."

Jeremy agreed to my pleas to stay with him, though he told me he was extremely busy with his career and it would take a while to get things sorted out.

"He...seemed very excited about having you live with him, Samantha," Pam said, averting her gaze from mine. Was she disappointed? I hadn't told her about that conversation with Jeremy. He wasn't the most reliable person, and I didn't expect anything to come of it. Normally he would just agree with my situation. I had never thought that I would actually hear that he would take me in.

Two months ago I would have jumped for joy and packed my bags immediately. Two months ago I would have been ecstatic, going to Denver to get away from Pam, to meet new people...to get out of this ghost infested town.

Two months ago I wasn't in love.

"Tell him I changed my mind," I said hastily, edging toward the hallway. I didn't want to face Pam. I didn't want to face anyone. "I don't want to go there anymore."

Pam sighed and shook her head.

I pressed my back against the wall, close to knocking down the portrait of a flower that I had drawn in second grade.

"He's already made the space. You're expected to show up at Denver High School in two weeks."

Two weeks. The _one_ time that Jeremy took things seriously...the one time he was dependent...was the time that I didn't _need_ him! I was waiting for Pam to shout out 'April Fool's!' yet her expression remained blank. This couldn't be happening.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, dumbfounded, unable to say a word. Pam took my silence as a beckoning to continue.

"You'll love it there, sweetie."

"I don't...Mom...I...I wanna stay _here_...in Amity Park." I never thought that I would say these words, especially while blinking back tears.

"Samantha..." Pam's voice was shaky. She didn't want me to leave either. That was a given. "He's enrolled you for school. He's emptied out the extra room for you. He's made sure it'll be easy for you to...to settle down." I stiffened. This was so unlike Jeremy...my_ father_ Jeremy, to make space for me in his home. I had been asking to stay with him since I was little, missing having a father. Pam was just too perky for my gothic taste.

Now, though, I'd take perky, optimistic Pam over irresponsible, go-with-the-flow Jeremy.

"Well..." I took a deep breath. "Tell him to unsettle. I'm not leaving." Pam's face did not harden, as I assumed that it would. She had a light tint behind her eyes. Sympathy, perhaps?

"You'll love it!" She said once more.

"What, are you a psychic or something?" I crossed my arms. How could she know if I'd enjoy staying in Colorado, away from my school. My friends...

Danny.

The thought stung.

"No," Pam said, slightly taken aback, now face to face with me. "But I am your mother. And I know what's best for you."

I furrowed my brow, feeling my lips quivering from trying not to scream in outrage.

"So...you think that it's _best_ for me to live with a work-obsessed father who doesn't know how to cook?" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could control it. "You think that it's _best_ for me to start all over?"

Pam scoffed.

"I think that it's _best_ for you to get out of this town. You seemed to think it was as well, not too long ago."

"Whatever," I said, adverting her motherly gaze from mine. I didn't want to listen to her any longer. Under no circumstances was I leaving Amity Park.

That Monday, I did my best to avoid Valerie, Tucker, and especially Danny. How would I face _any_ of them after the events of Saturday? I didn't think I could handle it. I ensured that I was the first one in the room when second period came so Valerie wouldn't run to catch up with me, swarming me with questions about where Danny and I had run off to on Saturday. I hadn't thought up an idea.

I kept my head down low as Lancer droned on and on about the misunderstood concepts in _Romeo and Juliet_, not listening to a word that he said. It didn't matter...two weeks from now I'd be in Denver.

I couldn't _believe_ it! How could my own mother want me to leave and live with my dad? It wasn't like I was a burden or anything. And she didn't really want me to leave either, I could tell. I sighed to myself, downed in my own self-pity.

"Samantha?" I heard Mr. Lancer call my name from the front of the room.

"Forty-two," I answered dryly and unaware of what was going on. I could hear the snickers from the other students surrounding me. I furrowed my brow, curious as to why they were laughing until I heard Mr. Lancer's snide comment.

"Ms. Manson, if you could just pull your head out of the clouds, you could easily realize that this is an English class." I frowned, resisting the wonderful temptation to roll my eyes.

"Whatever," I muttered under my breath, glancing up to face Mr. Lancer.

That was a mistake.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Danny giving me a sympathetic smile. I had been trying to erase his face from my mind (impossible and futile as it may sound). Acting as if I hadn't seen him, I glanced down at my desk, furrowing my brow at the unfinished inscriptions that previous students had engraved upon this desk. I lightly traced one of the longer ones. '_Lancer needs breath mint_' and smiled to myself. That was _indeed_ true.

Under these horrific circumstances, my mood lightened ever so slightly.

"Sam!" I heard Valerie's voice call behind me. I cringed. I wasn't expecting to speak to her today. Having to be in the same classroom was bad enough.

I told myself to ignore her. To continue fast walking to History. But, of course, my fear and curiosity of what she might say, of what she knew, caused me to stop.

"Hey." Valerie's _voice_ was chipper, but her face showed no emotion at all. I sighed, awaiting the scolding that I would receive, and, do something totally unlike me, not argue back with her. I deserved every word that she was going to say to me, I could sense it.

"Listen, Sam," Valerie began. "I need to talk to you. I stood there, immobile, watching as Danny exited out of English class and headed onto his third period, glancing back at Valerie and me. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Before I knew it, I had already opened my mouth to defend myself.

"Val, I'm _really_ sorry about Saturday night and--"

"Saturday?" Valerie intervened, raising and eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" I bit my lip. She wasn't going to tell me off? How could she _not_ know about what happened? Wasn't it _obvious?_

"Erm...what are _you_ talking about?" I asked sheepishly.

"Why didn't you call and tell me you were moving?" Valerie shifted her backpack from one side to the other.

Relief swarmed over me.

She _didn't_ know! She didn't suspect a _thing_ about the occurrences of Saturday. Slightly concerned about how she didn't notice the things that were right under her nose, I couldn't help but feel my lips twitch. Both warmth from the thought of her obliviousness spread through my stomach, as did the bitter cold pit in my stomach growing deeper at the thought of Colorado.

"Oh..." I said nervously. "Erm...you see...I was..." _I was avoiding you in case you found out that I kissed the boy you're totally in love with, who just happens to be my mother's boyfriend's son._

"I had to learn _second hand_, Sam. Pam had to call my dad and he told me. I'd think that at least you'd give me a phone call or something."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. So I _was_ receiving a scolding, though I preferred this one much more.

"I'm sorry, Val," I said softly, though deep down I wasn't. I had spent all of yesterday in my room, plotting how to get out of this mess. What I would tell Pam once I got home was the biggest thing that ran through my head. I had gone from being completely ignorant and simply refusing to leave Amity Park to telling her the truth about the going-ons ever since I met Jack and Danny. I was desperate to do anything at the moment, even if it meant telling her the truth.

"Why _didn't_ you tell me?" She asked, placing a friendly hand on my shoulder. I glanced down at it, afraid that she would squeeze it until I had turned unconscious, but she did no such thing.

"I was...hoping you'd take my consistent absences as an insight to what happened." My explanation came out playful, as a joke, though it _was_ true.

Valerie, however, was not amused.

I sighed.

"Because I didn't think that I _would_ leave. I don't want to, and just telling you that I am leaving would make me in this...big deep hole. It would mean...It would mean that I'd have to face the facts and know that I'm moving. That I'm giving up. And I'm _not_." I shrugged. "Pam's literally forcing me to go to Denver, but...I've got a few ideas that'll change both her _and_ Jeremy's mind."

Valerie's blank face told me that she wasn't going to buy my excuse.

"But, you said it yourself that you'd do anything to get away from Amity," Valerie pressed on, dropping her hand. "The ghosts?"

"Yeah," I said with another shrug. "But...now I'm used to them." My voice was almost as unconvincing as my thoughts were. No matter _what_ happened, I was positive that I would never get used to the specters that shook the people of Amity Park and its tourists into a state of shock.

Though, now that I had a...a full knowledge of the guardian angel of Amity Park, the knots in my stomach loosened.

Valerie bit her lip.

"So...are you leaving or not?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I dunno," I snapped. Valerie furrowed her brow, hurt clearly written across her face.

"Fine...I...I guess I'll see you at lunch...then..." Valerie's voice drifted off as she turned in the opposite direction. I groaned. _Lunch_. She'd _surely_ consider what happened on Saturday with Danny in attendance. What moron _wouldn't_?

I balanced my books in my arms, cursing myself for not getting a new backpack.

I, the coward that I was, hid out in the library during lunch.

I wasn't much of a bookworm, but it was the only place that I knew Valerie would never find me if she were to come looking for me, noticing my absence. I munched on the granola bar that I had gotten from a nearby snack machine, leaned my back against one of the bookcases in the back, and slid down onto the floor.

Things in my life had been going great for all of ten minutes. Pam could _never_ keep a relationship with a man for more than a few months. She had a problem with commitment, that I was sure of. I wasn't threatened at all by her and Jack. Every man that Pam dated always had flaws or was completely perfect. Jack was no different.

I took another bite of the granola bar.

And it wasn't as if Valerie wouldn't come to her senses and realize that she and Tucker were _made _for each other. It might have taken a month or two, but she would still notice him eventually.

All these thoughts made my stomach hurt. Because when they happened, I wouldn't be here to enjoy them. I'd be stuck up in Colorado, watching as the ski lift got shut off due to an upcoming blizzard. I frowned at the thought.

"I really hate Mondays," I muttered to myself.

"Yeah, me too," A voice from behind the bookshelf in front of me said in response. I stifled a gasp. It was that wonderful, velvety, musical voice that I adored.

I hated Danny.

He emerged from behind the shelf, smiling his crooked smile. I felt my lips quiver. If things weren't going to turn out as I had planned (and they most likely wouldn't), this would be one of the last times I could see his smile.

I savored it.

"Hey," He said weakly, sitting down beside me. I kept a mental note of how close he subconsciously did so.

"Hey," I replied, looking straight ahead, not wanting to look him in the eyes. I had to tell him sometime...perhaps over the phone two weeks from now.

"How are...things with you and Val?"

Danny chuckled.

"Tuck and I had a little...chat in first period." He winked at me. "He's going on a date with her this weekend."

I faked a grin. What I had hoped and _dreamed_ of happening finally occurs...and I couldn't even be happy.

I heard Danny scoot his leg out on the floor.

"Listen, Sam, about Saturday--"

"Look, let's just both stop here before we both say things we're gonna regret," I said, turning to face him. He had his brow furrowed deeply, almost to his nose. "Er...my..." I had to tell him, whether the result be something I anticipated or not. "I'm...my dad is...gonna--"

I heard Danny chuckle, causing me to turn my head and raise an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Just...wondering when you were gonna tell me, is all." His crystal blue eyes seemed to grow larger with both anticipation and remorse.

"Uhm..." I shrugged. "Tell you...what?" I had an idea about what he was talking about...

"That you were leaving." His voice was no longer light and amusing. It was grave and...grim. So I didn't have to tell him!

"Er..." I took a deep breath. "How'd you find out?" Did Pam actually call Jack yesterday and inform him of my reluctant move?

"Tucker told me in first period." I nodded.

"Oh..." I turned back to facing the bookshelf in front of us, fixing my eyes on a book entitled _Berry's Big Bashful Bash_.

"Do...y'know...you want to?" He asked stiffly. I sighed. He didn't know how much I _loathed_ the thought of having to be in Colorado. And he wouldn't. Not if I could help it. I didn't want to have to leave, _knowing_ that Danny...felt the same way I did about him (somewhat, at least). Even if he didn't...I probably still wouldn't want to go, anyway.

"Not in a million years," I sighed. "But Jeremy—my dad—he's already made the arrangements, he's en—enrolled me in the school there..."

Danny sighed so softly I wasn't sure that if it actually _was_ a sigh, or if he was just breathing.

"When is he gonna...erm..." I sighed.

"I—I think this week. Take a...take a few days to get my stuff unpacked and what not." My voice was shaking and cracking. I was trying my hardest, doing my _best_ not to cry.

Danny nodded, silent.

"Is...is he coming here or are you gonna fly there?"

I shrugged.

"I'm not gonna get on a plane." I laughed a shaky laugh. Danny smiled a weak smile as well. "Erm...why do you ask?"

It was at that moment did I realize something incredible. I gave Danny a deviant grin. He furrowed his brow.

"What?"

**((Author's Note: ;.; this is turning into a soap opera! FEAR MY SOAP OPERA TURNING POWERS! BWAHAHAHAHA! Okay...sorry this took a WEEK to get out. I've been writing Nick letters (like...three a day. O0) and then I got five BILLION fan fic idears. They're in my profile thingy. (eventually. XP) So...yes...Meh...I stayed up 'till about three writing this. It's either too over dramatic or too...blah... . I was in one of those moods, okay? Sheesh. XDD okay, ranting over... if you review you shall get a really really cool prize! (shifty eyes)**

**FS))**


	10. The Plan

**((Author's Note: (sigh) Here it is. The last chapter of _If We Kiss_...though there will be an epilogue (if I ever get around to doing that. It's not going to be special, I assure you of that). The reason it took me forever to update? I lost my lucky pen. That...and I had this huge inspiration for ANOTHER fan fiction idea that apparently doesn't want to stay in my head, and I had to write out a chapter or two of that, as well. And family crisis..es. -sigh- But I came back..with this mostly filler-end chapter! YAY!**

**Beyond all of that, I have one thing to say to you guys that have decided to read all the way to here:**

**ILOVEYOUGUYS!**

**Corny as it sounds, I'm really really eager to hear the feedback. Constructive criticism...anything. And the fact that you take time out of your life to say something about this story really means something to me. (sigh) I'm getting too over-dramatic. ON WITH THE TREATS!**

**And the prize. What is the prize, you ask? -.- Why...it be...(shifty eyes) A DANNY PLUSHIE! -faints- DP...well...you know what it shall symbolize.**

**Summers Rage: Really? High five! They CAN'T cancel him! It's just...UGH! Thank you so much! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**jessicajason: Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**look for the girl with the broken smile: I don't make it obvious? o0...SQUEE! Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**passing4insane: BWAHAHAHA! You read my mind...o0. Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP And yes! FIGHT THE POWER!**

**KittyKiChi: Honestly, it just means...well Sam was trying to absorb self-pity...and then the thing that makes her smile and pity wash away showed up. Or maybe I just added that in there because I was thinking about something else. The world will never know...BUT THANK YOU! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**Sasia: Teehee. Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**Phantom Of A Rose: OMFGOSHNESS! Yes! -squeal- I want to see that episode of...Days Of Our Lives? I dunno. But THANK YOU! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**-StarPhantom-: Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**dAnnY's GiRl777: Whoa...o0 But thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**Rose-Love.Rose Then DIES: XDD Thanks! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**Raven Of The Night 676: I'm not that evil! I could NEVER do that...-coughyesicouldcough- ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP THANK YOU!**

**The Original Muffin: o0 I...love...your...name. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP THANKS! **

**domanicandragon: GAH! BEWARE! Teehee. I'd be willing to spare you some...-sigh- but they're so lame that I'm not sure I even want to claim them. -sob- I do that...because...uhm...I'll get back to you on the answer there. OMFG NOT THE MARKERS! -runs away- ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**Knowledge In The Hollow Noggin: Aww! Thank you:D ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**WORDSLAYER: Cosmic brownies? Uhm...()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP I think ten...XP **

**Save Danny69: Yep! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP Thank you!**

**DeniedLuv: Ooh, i luff that word. :D Thank you so much! o-0 ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP **

**midnight scare: Weird...THANK YOU! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**Panic! I'm here: Aww! Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP Ooh, you replied to three chapters! Thank you! Teehee. I hate steakhouses. Vegetarian or not. -faints-**

**Imaginary Whisper: Bwahahaha...'tis confusing. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP THANK YOU!**

**Midnight: THANK YOU SO MUCH! -glomp- ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**LuckyPhantom: Teehee. THANKS! -glomp- ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**Grim Reaper: Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**Miss Sam: Honestly...you made tears seriously form in my eyes. Thank you so much for your kind words and EVERYTHING! I really, really, REALLY appreciate it! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP**

**Butch...he owns Danny. FS...she owns...uhm...hmm...**

**This is a long chapter. Lots of it is narrated. You have been warned. o-0 And excuse, once again, lame chapter titles.  
**

**Chapter Ten**

**The Plan **

It was difficult to look at my usually messy room, normally overflowed with my disorganized manner. Now, however, it was...amazingly clean. I could see the floor...I could walk around and not step on any homework assignments or dirty laundry.

Boxes were lined against the wall beside my desk (my computer, thankfully, was to remain here in Amity Park), containing all of the belongings that I was forced to have to take to Denver. I sighed at the repulsive sight. It made it seem as if I were never to return.

If I did leave Amity, that is.

I fell onto my bed, now only a mattress on it (I'd only owned one bed suite for my whole life), holding my head in my hands. This past week had been the hardest to endure. I was constantly swarmed with Valerie's questions about whether I would be leaving or not. Tucker hadn't said much about it, though he did call once to promise that I was to call him every day to receive updates about what was happening here in Amity while I was away. I had immediately slammed the phone onto the receiver; he obviously was unaware that I wouldn't leave Amity Park without a fight.

The hardest part, though, was knowing that the plan that I had conducted out of haste to stay in Amity Park may not work. I had to trudge through the hallways of Casper High, watching each student fraternize with each other, not a care in the world.

I had massive doubts whether I would be able to stay in Amity. Whether Pam would easily fall for my trick, or if she could penetrate the heavy aura that I would be giving off in a mere two and a half hours.

But to see Danny, though it may be a glimpse of his hair, made those thoughts tumble away. I hadn't confided in him about what I was going to be doing. Not yet, anyway. I had a full week to plan what I was going to attempt to accomplish, and I didn't want to tell him in case any flaws were easily noticeable and unable to fill.

Tonight, though, I would have to inform him.

I sighed once more and lied back onto my bed, my legs hanging over the edge of it. I clutched my forehead, groaning to myself. I had told Danny to call earlier today. He was entirely confused on that, but gave me his word that he would as soon as he possibly could.

But...what if what I was planning...what if it didn't turn out as I anticipated? I couldn't leave Amity Park. I wouldn't. Jeremy would have to pry my fingers out of the cement if he wanted me to leave that badly. I knew Pam wouldn't fight it. She _wanted_ me to stay. Perhaps she got lonely, being single a lot of the time. Yet another reason not to leave.

I heard a distant ringing from the living room. Immediately, I sat up, the bed giving off a loud moan as I did so, and hurried to where the sound was coming from. If Pam answered the phone before I, and it turned out to be Danny, she might assume something was up. Pam was known to jump to conclusions, far-fetched as they may be.

I didn't make it into the living room before Pam, therefor she was left to answer the phone. I watched, trying to maintain a blank face, as she talked to whoever was on the other line. Pam shot me a glance before turning back to the wall, nodding at some points.

"Right," She said finally before giving off her fake laugh. "Okay." I raised an eyebrow. It couldn't have been Danny...so who was it? "I'll tell her." Pam hastily hung up the phone and turned to me.

"Who was that?" I asked her, voice slightly cracked.

"Your father," Pam simply answered, giving me a small smile. My stomach contorted into a much larger knot than before. "He's on his way over. Should be here in about--"

But, thankfully, Pam had cut off due to yet another ring from the phone. I dashed to it, giving her a sheepish smile before answering.

"Hello?" I breathed, watching as Pam sourly trudged into the kitchen to finish making dinner.

"Sam?" I heard a familiar, and lovely, voice on the other line. I grinned and plopped onto the torn up sofa, picking at bits up stuffing that were obstinately falling out.

"Hey, Danny," I said, my voice louder than before. "Listen..." I leaned forward, ensuring that Pam had the door closed to the kitchen, and rested my back against the couch. "How long do you think it'll take you to get over here?"

Danny hesitated before answering.

"What?" His voice had confusion etched into it.

I heaved an exasperated sigh and put my hand over the phone, cupping it around my mouth in case Pam was listening.

"Can you come over here?" I asked, furrowing my brow. "I...I need your help."

I heard Danny make a movement, what, I wasn't sure.

"Yeah," He said softly. I felt a smile placed upon my lips at his velvety voice.

* * *

I paced up and down in the space between my house and the house next to mine, glancing up at the sky at random moments before digging my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket. Night had fallen over Amity Park, causing the streetlights to go on, drawing me out of the shadows. I didn't want Pam to see me beside the house; she might suspect something abnormal. 

I brushed a strand of my hair out of my face, the wind blowing angrily against my face. I crossed my arms and rocked back and forth in this cold weather.

"Danny," I moaned, looking back up at the star infested sky. "Please hurry."

"You rang?" I heard a sly voice from behind me. Instinctively, I turned around, astonished by the timing.

A raven haired boy, embracing a red jacket, gave me a small smile as he slowly walked toward me. I couldn't help but feel my stomach jiggle. The same effect ran through my legs. I could hardly walk to Danny due to the sudden anvil-sized weight that was inflicted upon me.

I was speechless, unable to find the words that I wanted to say. I wanted to blurt out my plan, something I had been longing to do for a long time, but not a word escaped my mouth. I merely nodded, trying to pull my face into a smile.

Danny furrowed his brow and took another step toward me until we were just an inch apart. I averted my gaze at him, scared that I would be lost in those large, crystal blue eyes of his. That happened too often this past week. Every time I glanced his way, whether it be during English class or in the halls, I felt as if I were shoved into a pool of icy cold water. Some subconscious part of my mind informed me that it was because of the pain about leaving, and the guilt because I had asked for this.

"I...need your help," I muttered, sneaking a glance up at Danny, who had placed a crooked smile on his face.

I was drowning.

"With what?" He asked, though I could hardly comprehend what he had just said. I could feel my heart throbbing in my ears.

I took a deep breath and took a small step back. If Pam so much as peered out the window we'd be busted.

"I—I'm gonna try to...getpamandjeremybacktogether." My words slipped out of my mouth in a mushed form. If he understood what I meant I'd be immensely impressed.

Danny raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"What?" He asked. I was suddenly reminded of the newspaper fiasco not too long ago. I sighed.

"I need you to help me...get...Pam and Jeremy back to—together," I explained softly.

Danny was quite hesitant with this remark. I watched his facial expressions as he accumulated what I had just said, along with this past weeks' occurrences.

"I don't think that's such a--"

"Danny, _please_!" I cried exasperatedly. "Please...I..." I shook my head and stared down at the grass. I felt his hand lightly touch my shoulder; a friendly gesture.

"What do you plan on doing?" He asked me. I looked up, and there he was, that crooked smile that sent my heart into a mad riot. I weakly smiled, glanced back to the kitchen window, and back to Danny.

"I think the reason Pam has so many relationship problems," I leaned against our neighbor's house wall and continued. "Is because she's never gotten over her first...and only husband."

Danny leaned against my house's wall as well, folding his arms across his chest as he nodded his head. I made it a point to stare into the street, watching as a streetlight began to go out.

"I...I think..." I took a deep breath. "I think that if...we..." I shrugged and looked up at Danny. "Recreate their first date..." Danny chuckled at my offer. I frowned. This was my visible hope.

"What's so funny?" I challenged him, placing my hands on my hips.

"Sam..." Danny gave me a small smile, not the crooked one that made me melt, yet something similar. He walked away from the wall and toward me once more. I was trapped, yet I couldn't help but feel a giggle longing to escape in my throat at our closeness. "I really, really want you to stay. More than anything." I could have sworn I heard his voice crack as he spoke. "But...I don't know if this'll work."

He was now not even an inch away from me. The scene at the alley beside the bowling alley rapidly replayed through my mind. I took a deep breath and shook it out of my head.

"It'll work," I debated, clutching my sides to prevent myself from throwing my arms around him. That was the _last_ thing I needed to do.

"And what gives you that idea?" He asked me, now bending down so I could easily count his eyelashes. His honeysuckle breath blew into my face, making my stomach jolt with comfortable joy.

"Er..." I couldn't leave the embrace of his eyes. They had me seized to this wall, unable to escape. "Fate's on our side?" That sent Danny into a fit of laugher. I couldn't help but laugh as well. Fate wasn't on our side ever since we first met, let alone this very instant.

Danny slipped his hand into mine, warming it up, despite the coldness of it. I could feel blush creeping onto my cheeks, but only allowed a lopsided smile to give away my true emotion.

"What was their first date?" He asked me, furrowed his brow.

My stomach dropped.

"Oops..."

Danny groaned and dropped my hand, though he had a sparkle behind his eyes.

"You never asked her?" He inquired, louder than I hoped he would have.

I gave him a sheepish smile. How could I have been so idiotic! My plan had been _flawless_! I had gone over every detail in my head for the past _week_. Every single detail except the most important one.

Danny shook his head and chuckled.

"Sam..." He groaned, amusement hanging lightly in his tone.

"Shush," I snapped, though I couldn't help but grin at my stupidity. "C'mon." Danny raised an eyebrow.

"To where!" He asked as I reluctantly left the wall.

"We're gonna go talk to Pam," I explained exasperatedly. "Get the details about the date from her!" Danny shook his head.

"Wouldn't your mom think it's a little weird that her boyfriend's son came over to ask about her ex husband--"

"She won't look at the details about the present," I excused. "She'll be too absorbed in answering the question that Pam probably won't even know we're there." And that was true. If I had ever asked Pam a personal question about her past, which I did so rarely, she seemed to be lost in memories.

Danny gave me a skeptical look as I grabbed his forearm and pulled him to the front door.

"Sam, I really doubt this'll work." His voice was full of both apprehension and excitement. I couldn't help but giggle at the sound of it. I wanted to kill Danny right then and there. I _never_ giggled!

"Trust me," I told him wisely, opening the door slightly. "Pam won't be able to resist this."

Danny raised an eyebrow at my statement, causing a new fit of giggles to erupt. How could he do that? It was so unfair.

"If you say so..." Danny said as I walked into the living room, he right behind me.

"Samantha?" I heard Pam call from the kitchen. I glanced back at Danny. Maybe it would be better if he weren't visible...

"Go ghost," I whispered to him before I screamed, "Yeah!" to answer Pam's question.

"What?" Danny asked me, moving to my side.

"Don't let her see you," I informed him as the door began from the kitchen began to swing open. I felt my stomach drop as Pam emerged from behind the door and looked to my side, but Danny had, thankfully, disappeared.

"Where've you been, Sammykins?"She asked me, placing a fake smile upon her lips.

"I was...taking a walk," I answered her softly. "When's Jeremy getting here?"

"He should be here in about an hour or so," She answered. "Why?"

"Just...just curious is all." I felt triumphant at the timing. "Listen...Mom...can I ask you a question?"

Pam eyed me curiously for a moment before nodding.

"I've got dinner cooking so..." Her voice drifted off as she sat down on the couch and patted an empty spot beside her. I glanced to my side were I assumed Danny was still standing and walked to the sofa to sit beside my mother.

"What is it, Samantha?" Pam asked as she brushed a strand of my midnight black hair out of my face. I wanted to push her hand away when she tucked it behind my ear, though I feared she wouldn't tell me the story if I did so. Last day in Amity or not.

I looked to my side. I could have sworn I heard footsteps come this way. My eyes drifted to the armchair, where slight indentions were placed in the cushion. As if someone were sitting there. I smiled at what Pam would assume was air before turning to face her.

"I was curious..." I began, wishing that Danny were here to give me an encouraging smile. Though I would probably be close to fainting from receiving one... "What was your first date with Jer—Dad like?"

Pam examined my face for a moment, most likely expecting my expression to become suddenly uninterested as I had done since I was younger to silently inform her that I honestly did not care. I kept my facial expression constant, slightly eager to listen to her long, almost never ending story.

"Your father," She began, leaning back into the sofa. "Took me out to this exotic dinner party with his friends." I furrowed my brow as she smiled at the thought. "We didn't stay for long, though."

"Why not?" I asked her, taking my jacket off. Pam grinned.

"He was a very strange man then," She said, almost inaudibly. I had to lean forward to hear each syllable spoken. "Wanted to surprise me." Pam sighed and closed her eyes, dipping ever so slowly into the memories. "Jeremy and I disappeared from the party and we ended up in an the park!" She chuckled. "A moonlight dinner..."

"What happened?" I pressed on.

"We had a picnic dinner...bologna sandwiches and chocolate cake." Pam sighed. "Your father got icing on his nose and neither of us could tell. It was so dark that he didn't know about it until we got into his car and I pointed it out." I chuckled.

"It was so romantic," She breathed. "I really got to know your father on that date, Sammykins."

"Anything else?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow. Pam shook her head.

"No," She said, brushing her hand through her orange hair. "Nothing, really."

We sat in a time consuming silence for a moment before I decided that this was the end of Pam's tale.

"Right," I said, standing up. "Well...I'm just gonna go to my...room...make sure I've got everything..." My voice drifted off. Pam, who seemed to be in a slight daze, merely nodded and folded her arms across her chest.

I looked over to the arm chair, expecting some sound to come, but heard nothing. I felt my feet take mt to my room, though my brain was on other issues.

As I opened my door, I found Danny sitting on my bed, giving me an evil smirk.

"What?" I asked loudly. Danny put a finger on his lips. I bit my own bottom lip. "What?" I repeated in a whisper.

Danny stood up and chuckled.

"You need to make sure your mom stays out of the backyard," He ordered.

"The dinner?" I asked him. Danny's smirk widened. I couldn't help but giggle (much to my dismay) at his contorted expression.

"Exactly."

* * *

When Jeremy entered through the living room door, Pam rushed out of the kitchen. 

Danny had helped me escape my room my somehow being able to let me...phase through solid objects the past hour. I had felt weightless...though slightly at unease. Danny had done most of the work, placing a large blanket in the middle of the backyard, while I kept a look-out for Pam through the window. That was pretty much the only thing I could offer, though...

"Jeremy!" I heard Pam give off a girlish squeal. I cringed and poked my head out the door of my room, listening as the front door slammed shut.

"Samantha!" Jeremy said, a grin upon his face as I walked out of the hallway. He embraced me in a bone crushing hug. "Haven't seen you in forever, kiddo!" He exclaimed.

"Whose fault is that?" I muttered under my breath. Thankfully, however, he hadn't heard it.

I glanced at his appearance as he let me go. His clothes, shabby as ever, were something similar to what I remember him wearing at our other meetings. His blond hair, shaggy, greasy, and messy hung over his big blue eyes. There had been controversy in our family over my own appearance. Pam, who had hair as orange as the sunset, and Jeremy, whose hair was so blond it could almost be considered bleach blond, had no relatives with hair as dark as mine. I didn't mind as Pam quarreled with relatives about not only my clothes, but my hair, eyes, and skin tone. It made me even more unique, something I cherished.

"You don't know how happy I am that you're coming to Colorado," He said, grinning from ear to ear as he placed his hands on my shoulders. I felt like I was four years old again. Jeremy was known to treat me much younger than I actually was. When Christmas would come around, he would come for a surprise visit, hand me an envelope with various amounts of money inside of it, and act as if I were ten years younger. It made me both uncomfortable and angry.

"Right," I said stiffly, squirming out of his clutches. I took a quick glance out the window to the backyard and to Jeremy and Pam once more.

"Is dinner ready?" I asked Pam tonelessly, turning my back to Jeremy. "I'm...starving." I crossed my arms and watched as Pam raised an eyebrow.

"Dinner...right!" She flushed. "Would you like to stay, Jeremy? For dinner...I mean...It should be done in...in thirty minutes..."

"Please, Dad?" I asked, turning to Jeremy. "I'm really hungry..."

Jeremy sighed.

"You can't wait until we get to the hotel?"

I shook my head.

He sighed again and brushed his fingers through his hair, making parts stick up.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt..."

I grinned.

"Thank you!" I said, almost too happily. I could feel a grin taking over my face as I eagerly fast walked to my room.

I shut the door behind me, pressing my ear against the door to listen as Jeremy asked Pam about how the weather over here was going.

"Danny?" I whispered as I walked away from the door. "Are you here?"

My eyes drifted to the boxes lined against my wall. Tape was strewn across my floor, along with bits of cardboard attached to it, due to one of the boxes that I had hastily opened for my comforter to be put into the backyard.

"He seems nice," A voice commented from the direction of my bed. I turned and saw a snow-white haired boy with glowing green eyes that lit up my room appear, arms crossed and a slight frown sitting on his face.

"He is," I said with a shrug. "Just...he's busy all the time. And he doesn't get paid all that much either, so it doesn't really even out."

Danny gave me a sympathetic smile.

"You'd manage, though."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What's with the change of heart?" I asked him, crossing my arms at his mood swing.

Danny shook his head.

"I...don't wanna get our hopes up," He answered. I bit my lip. Nor did I, but I couldn't help but feel anxious at the outcome of tonight.

"Me neither," I agreed, walking over to my bed. "But I think this might work. We might actually be able to win this battle."

"Battle against who?" Danny asked me, a grin spreading across his face.

"Fate, of course." He laughed a little too loudly, causing me to slap my hand over the ghost boy's mouth.

I could feel the corners of his mouth turn up, his eyes shining with apology. I dropped my hand onto my mattress, tingling with delight.

"Now what?" Danny asked me. "We put that comforter on the ground, made the sandwiches and got pieces of cake to--"

"Did Pam see you?" I intervened. Danny chuckled, but ignored my answer.

"And we stopped the dinner she was making." I grinned. "So now what?" I almost added that I took no part in this hostile act at all, but decided against it.

I smiled.

"Now we need to get them outside," I pointed out, "And..." I hesitated for a brief moment. "And lock the doors so they can't get back in." Danny smirked.

"How?" He asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"We just lock the--" Danny laughed and shook his head.

"How do we get them outside?" I felt blush creep up on my cheeks.

"Oh," I said, chuckling at my dim-witted behavior. "Simple," I gingerly poked him in the chest. "You."

Danny brushed his fingers through his hair, confusion clearly readable by his expression.

"Me?" He asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I need you to take over Jeremy," I whispered. Wednesday, Danny confided to me in the hallway after English class that he had taken over Lancer's body during part of the lesson, depriving the class of that night's homework.

Danny's eyes widened.

"I'm not--" I pressed my finger to his lips and leaned in slightly.

"Just for a few minutes," I whispered, wishing I could control my heart rate. It was beating so rapidly and loudly that Danny was sure to hear it. "To get them outside." I brought my finger back to form a loose fist, drawing it down to the mattress once more.

Danny contemplated over this for a moment, eying me occasionally through the thirty second thinking session.

He eventually sighed and shrugged.

"What do I say?" He asked me. I couldn't resist the impulse to throw my arms around his neck this time.

"Thank you," I whispered. This was so unlike me. I wasn't supposed to feel this way around anyone. I wasn't supposed to enjoy human contact...

"Anytime," Danny said. I felt his chest heave in and out quickly as he chuckled.

I released my death grip on him and thought for a moment.

"I'm gonna pretend like I see a ghost in the backyard," I informed him. Danny nodded. I scratched my ear and went on. "Pam and Jeremy go check it out...and we lock them out!"

Danny laughed at my scheme.

* * *

I pressed my face against the backyard window. Pam and Jeremy were sitting in an awkward silence on the sofa, exchanging conversation only on a rare occasion. 

"It's really cold in Denver," I heard from behind me. I turned around, slightly astonished to find Jeremy with large, glowing green eyes, his voice completely different. Like Danny's.

"Really?" Pam nodded her head. "How cold does it get there?"

I pressed my nose against the cold window once more.

"GHOST!" I shrieked in terror. Pam rocketed out of her seat, Jeremy's body as well.

"What?" Pam asked, clutching my shoulder. I did my best to sound surprised, though I wasn't very good at it.

"There's a ghost," I muttered, pointing out the window. "I saw it..."

Pam peered out into the backyard, furrowing her brow.

"I don't see any--" I pulled her elbow away, just in case she could see the picnic Danny had set up.

"Maybe we should check it out," Danny's voice suggested. "I'm sure it's nothing but just to make sure..."

Pam eyed Jeremy for a moment, glanced to me, and nodded.

"Right," She agreed, opening the back door. Jeremy followed her, slamming the door shut behind him.

Before I knew it, a ghostly figure appeared in front of me and bolted the back door shut.

"Perfect," I said with a grin. The room was suddenly illuminated by a blue neon glow for a split second until Danny Fenton, his large mass of raven black hair, was grinning at me.

Danny grabbed my hand as we trudged out of the house through the front door, leading me to the side of the house where nothing but a wooden fence separated us from the backyard.

"How d'you think it's going?" I whispered to Danny, who merely gave me a small, weak...vulnerable smile.

Pam and Jeremy had been alone for a total of twenty minutes. Half of which were spent searching for the ghost (as far as I could tell from the back porch's light). They hadn't gone to the back door banging on it, longing to get inside, so _something_ must have happened.

"I dunno," He answered after a while, reaching for the gate latch, but I stopped him.

"They'll hear it," I scolded. Danny nodded.

"Right," He said. There was now no point of coming outside, seeing as I couldn't become invisible like Danny could.

I slid down until my legs made contact with the cool, windswept grass. Danny imitated my movement and did the same.

We sat in silence for a while, listening for the occasional laugh or giggle. Danny and I had set the comforter out in the middle of the backyard. They would have been morons if they hadn't seen it...

"Danny..." I spoke slowly, looking away from the fence to face him.

"Hmm?"

"I was thinking...what if this doesn't work?"

"It will--" He protested, but I placed my hand on his shoulder

"But just...what if it doesn't?" I placed my hand in my lap. "What if Pam doesn't fall for it and ends up marrying Jack...we'd be...we'd be siblings...and--"

Danny chuckled, intervening my somewhat self-debate.

"Sam," He said lightly, shifting his body to face me. "It _will_ work. And even if it doesn't, there's no way Jack will marry Pam. He's gonna goof up the relationship somehow." I shook my head.

"I dunno, Danny."

"And if you have to move to Colorado," He said, his shining eyes suddenly fading as he spoke those words. "Then I swear I'll visit you, okay?" He laughed. "You're worrying for nothing."

I brought my knees to my chest, scolding myself for not wearing my jacket. I had the tendency to do that when I was outside with Danny, apparently.

Maybe Danny was right, though. Maybe I was worrying over nothing. How could my hopes and anxiety, my happiness, suddenly be replaced with this feeling of...unease? I looked over at Danny's face, now smiling his crooked smile, and the answer came so easily that I was surprised I hadn't figured it out before.

He placed his hand on my cheek, causing me to tell myself when to breathe. The world seemed as if it would be spinning any second, my stomach jolting from side to side as if I were on a boat, adrift at sea on a stormy night.

"It'll be fine," He said, though I could sense some unsure tint in his voice.

I hesitated, feeling myself being plunged into that icy pool, yet this time it was different. The bitter cold was replaced with warmth, as if I were a child wrapped in a blanket beside a crackling fire.

"Right," I agreed. It was hard to control my breathing, having Danny so close to me. I felt the same almost the same sensation back at the alley, causing me to close my eyes, hoping I wouldn't vomit from nerves. Danny sent that crooked to me, making the butterflies in my stomach sprout thousands more pairs of wings and flutter around more. I scolded myself for being so vulnerable, for allowing myself to give in to this feeling. To this chemical reaction.

But I liked it. I felt stronger. Happier. I didn't want to lose that feeling.

Though, a small part of my mind continuously asked, _"What if it doesn't work?"_

******((Author's Note: WHOA! Took forEVER to update. -is really sorry- This chapter...I won't say anything aside from it's the final one. I'LL HAVE AN EPILOIGUE...but when it'll be out...I won't say. Heh. So I guess it isn't the final one...  
**

******I had to re-read my whole fan fiction thing...and I passed by a few chapters that I forgot I even wrote! -faints- And not just those early ones, mind you. o-0 Strange...**

******But...if you are reading this...know that it is exactly 3:08 in the morning as I type this. I began this at about...10:21. I had to start over because my notebook pages were ripped up by...someone, and so...yes. That and along with another one of my stories too. -sigh- Oh well. **

******But I won't say anything about this stupid story yet until the epilogue is out. It won't be long. I've got it all in my head, honestly. :D **

******Reviews make me happy! Along with socks...but so do reviews! **

******HUGE THANK YOU TO MISS SAM! HUGEHUGEHUGEHUGEHUGEHUGEHUGE! WITHOUT YOU THIS CHAPTER WOULD HAVE BEEN SO DIFFERENT AND SO MUCH WORSE! I APPRECIATE THIS SO MUCH! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, ****-insert a billion thank yous right here-****SO MUCH! and if I don't get this out by tomorrow morning...I'M SO SORRY! ;-;**

******Thank you. ;D **

******And, if you aren't Miss Sam and you're reading this, THANK YOU READER! I would have quit on this story after chapter...four...but I didn't! -is shocked- After the epilogue is out, I can finally put a story under complete! W00t! XDDD**

******I have to go now. My eyelids are beginning to take over the world...**

******FS))**


	11. Epilogue

**((Author's Note: THIS STORY IS COMPLETE! IT IS NOW UNDER THE COMPLETED SECTION! -faints- I'm really glad that this is the last installment thingy. No...scratch that. Overjoyed. Though I AM going to miss thinking up the plot while I'm trying to sleep at night, I have to admit. **

**I just wanted to say that without the support from you guys, I would have NEVER gone this far. Not in a million YEARS! I'm...known to not finish stuff. Especially fan fictions...always get side-tracked or lose interest. But the feedback made this ALL worth while. Yes, this is going to sound corny. Yes, if you are reading this, you are going to have to endure it or you can skip ahead to the epilogue. Hmm...I probably spelled that wrong. I went through the spell check and dictionary dot com to see if I spelled it correctly, but knowing me I never changed it. Meh, oh well. Deal with the typos or face the wrath of Fluffy, the evil kumquat! -maniacal laughter-**

**Heh, remember Skulker's plan! IT WILL BE REVEALED IN THIS...thing. But it's a very lame idea...oh wellz.  
Along with...what else? I dunno...but everything is pretty much summed up in this epilogue...whatjamadoodle.**

**Honestly, I'm fresh out of ideas for treats. So you shall have a Danny FENTON plushie this go around. **

**TREATS THAT YOU SHALL EAT! ooh, it be a rhyme! -clings to rhyme-**

**Miss Sam: Nonetheless...THANK YOU SO MUCH! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**DeniedLuv: Aww. Thank you:D ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**Imaginary Whisper: -coughwe'llseecough- Teehee. Thank you uberly mucho...ly. ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**Raven Of The Night676: XDD Yes, they are. Pathetic, actually...yet fun to write. Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**Summers Rage: Aww, thank you so much! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**look for the girl with the broken smile: omfg are you serious! -squeal- THAT'S SO COOL! Glad it worked! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**domanicandragon: Was that a combined mush of words or did that really mean something? O0 -FS is a dork- But thank you! You really don't know how much that means to me! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**RoseLOVE...Rose then DIES: Teehee. Sadly it is. I have stinkin' school in a bit. -sigh- BUT THANK YOU! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**dAnnYs GiRl777: Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**passing4insane: Me neither! I'm glad to know someone's on the same page as me! -glomp- Thank you! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**BadgersRule: Aww...THANK YOU SO MUCH! -cling- ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**midnight scare(x2): Teehee. Thank you! No, you're not stupid. ;D But THANK YOU SO MUCH! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**Serena: Aww, thankies! -glomp- That honestly means a whole lot more to me then I let on...and I probably spread it on thick, too. heh...()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**KittyKiChi: Auhauhauh...Thank you:D ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF **

**The Original Muffin: I'm still in love with your name. XP THIS shall be the end. Heh...()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF**

**Serena (again!): Teehee. Thank you! Yesh..procrastination is just lovely, isn't it? ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF **

**Zirra: Aww, thanks! But tell that to Miss Sam. -pokes Miss Sam- She's the one who got me out of the gutter...and I'm honestly not gonna let you NOT have last...update's prize thingy. No way! ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DP ()()()()()()()()()()$$$$(:)+(3DF -glomp-**

**Now, I wanna thank my friend Katy. She won't be reading this, but without her continuous annoyance this story would have had a much different...and worse turnout.**

**So here it is, the epilogue of _If We Kiss_. Yes...FS actually finished something. W00t! **

**Butch Hartman owns Danny Phantom. I own this dust ball. His name is Fred. BOW DOWN TO FRED...because he loves pie. **

**Epilogue**

I scowled at the image in the mirror, sticking my tongue out at the reflection that I wished had nothing to do with me. I smoothed down the roughness of the massive, brilliantly pink dress, hoping that it would ruin it. Or at least smash it down so I didn't look like I was wearing a parachute. I felt drowned in this itchy, uncomfortable fabric. Pam had recently informed me that I looked like an absolute angel when she picked it out, and, after many arguments and tantrums, I found was obliged to wear this hideous thing. Apparently I owed her one for taking care of me for fourteen years.

The dress continued to pop up, fluffier than before, if that were even possible. I sighed at the obviously futile task and threw my hands up exasperatedly in the air.

This had been the day I was dreading for so long. Ever since Pam announced her engagement early December. I furrowed my brow at the memory, forcing it out of my mind for what seemed like the twentieth time.

"This is stupid," I muttered, glaring at the mirror. Reflection Sam did the same, causing her to look like an evil ghost with a bad taste in clothing wear. My pale skin clashing against the bright pink dress didn't make this situation any better. I sighed and turned away from the mirror, crossing my arms as I did so. Nothing I could do could make me feel the slightest bit more comfortable about my horrid situation.

A knock on the dressing door interrupted my thoughts. Almost gratefully, I unfolded my arms.

"Come in," I muttered through clenched teeth, my expression softening as I turned to the door.

The doorknob turned slowly, and out emerged a bushy mass of raven hair, Caucasian, blue eyed boy, a fixed smile upon his face. I felt blush creeping up on my cheeks, suddenly wishing that I hadn't changed into Pam's bridesmaid's dress just yet. And for more reasons...

"Hey," I greeted happily, despite the current situation, brushing a strand of my now curled hair out of my face. A real, true smile graced Danny's lips as he closed the door behind him, blue eyes sparkling with so much intensity it almost hurt to look at them. Though even if it did hurt, I was positive I would have taken any form of intense agony...

"Hey," He said as well. I examined his attire. Basic, traditional black tuxedo. He had a tie around his neck, though it was rather sloppy and it looked as if he had done it himself. His face was shining at something.

We stood in silence, taking in each other's appearance. I his wondrous, Godlike one, and him my repulsive, nightmarish one. Because he didn't make a face did I plop myself onto an armchair near by, resting my chin on my hand. He was probably too polite to chortle.

"You look beautiful," Danny croaked after a long hesitation. I glared at him, and a light tint of pink was visible on his cheeks. "No, honestly, Sam." He walked to the chair, drumming his fingers on the arm of it, just inches away from my hand. "You do."

I said nothing, wishing I had something more to say other than his own outfit. It seemed to me as if tuxedos were made just for him to wear, not any other male in the world.

"You too," I said, though immediately clamped my mouth shut. The blood drained from my face as I realized what I had said. I had just called Danny beautiful. Of course he was beautiful, but I never meant that to escape the back of my _mind_. I snuck a glance up at him, awed by his now cherry-red face. The blood was pounding in my ears now, and it was hard to hear as he laughed at my comment.

Danny lowered his knees onto the ground, though he stiffened his back so we were almost eye contact. He allowed a crooked smile to spread across his face, though this wasn't the one that I had grown so accustomed to, yet constantly wanted to melt at the spot. This one didn't reach his eyes. It was artificial in so many ways.

I smiled grimly back. We weren't supposed to meet like this. We weren't supposed to meet at all, for that matter.

"Are you happy?" He asked me in a low whisper. Happy? Pam was getting married. She would no longer be single. Never again would I have to come home to her sobbing over a break-up. An argument with her husband, perhaps, but never a break-up along with long marathons of tragic romances.

"I...dunno," I answered after what seemed like forever to rethink the question that most likely should have been interpreted in a different way. "Why?"

"I am," He said, the smile now glancing on his eyes. Why was _he _happy? He reserved no right whatsoever to have any joyful feeling in him.

"You are?" I asked, leaning in slightly. He imitated my movement.

"Yeah," He whispered, eyes now dazzling me. I felt a whooping sensation overpower me. My blood seemed to be pulled out of my torso and rapidly forced to my lower body, causing my eyelids to flutter intensely as I dealt with the abnormal aftermath.

"Why--" Was all that was able to escape from my mouth before he pressed his lips against mine.

_So that's why._

I clutched the armchair cushion, watching as the room around me suddenly morphed into a whirlwind until I could see nothing but Danny's face. I clenched my eyes shut and concentrated on allowing the air to get out of my lungs. My heart was beating a thousand times louder, a thousand times faster. Those butterflies that had been implanted inside of my stomach were flying around vigirously, apparently trying to find a way out. My legs were turning to mush even though I wasn't using them at the moment.

And then the dizziness ended, replaced by...giddy? I kept my eyes closed, afraid that this new emotion would dissolve into nothingness. I slowly allowed my hands to let go of the seat cushion, obstinately raising raising them into the air--

A knock on the door broke us apart, a gasp escaping from me. Danny scrambled to his feet as I called out, "I--I'm...come in!"

The door opened and emerged a flushed Maddie wearing the same dress as I, though _she_ looked perfect in it. It embraced her in all the right places, her skin against it didn't make you want to clench your eyes in pain.

"There you are!" Maddie sighed in relief. I gave her a half-hearted smile and stood up, ignoring the sudden heat rush I had received. Maddie shut the door behind her and hurried to me.

"Sam," She said in a somewhat disapproving tone. "You're lipstick is all smudged..." As if she were my grandmother, she took off her gloves (I had yet to put the pair of gloves Pam insisted I wear on my hands), licked her thumb, and scrubbed my face with it. I shot a glance to Danny who was fiercely rubbing at his mouth. It was so hard not to laugh aloud at the sight.

"Sorry," I said, trying to sound completely innocent. My tone was thick with guilt. I was a horrible liar. "I'm not used to the blotchy pink stuff Pa—Mom uses." Maddie chuckled and dropped her hand into her purse and fished out a tube of lipstick.

"Here," She said, handing it to me. I sighed and dragged my feet to the mirror. They made a much more louder noise than Maddie's graceful steps, like a dancer. Though Maddie wasn't hiding combat boots underneath her beyond-floor length dress...

As I applied the lipstick, I watched Danny pursing his lips so they weren't visible to Maddie as she placed her hands on her hips, awaiting the return of her lipstick.

"Thanks," I said bitterly. I thrust the tube into her hands, happy that it was out of my own. Maddie smiled and placed it in her purse, snapping it shut.

"Sam..." She sighed as she looked at the pink gloves that were hanging loosely on a nearby table.

"What?" I asked, faking obliviousness. She sighed and threw the gloves at me.

"Be sure you're ready in ten minutes--" She furrowed her brow, now realizing Danny's presence was actually in the room. "Danny, what are you doing in here?"

Danny smiled sheepishly at Maddie before darting out of the room. Maddie raised an eyebrow to me before closing the door, leaving me alone in the room.

I slipped the gloves on slowly, angry at Pam for deciding that the theme of this _horrible_ wedding should be pink. Angry at her for deciding to get married in this early of a stage in a relationship.

I pulled my arm through the second glove and examined myself in the mirror. I tried to flatten out the poofiness of my dress once more, but nothing happened. I watched as my reflection gave me a half-hearted smile before another knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in," I called out, turning away from the mirror once more.

"Are you ready yet?" This time it wasn't Danny or Maddie. It was an irritated, annoyed, and somewhat raspy voice. I sighed and watched as the door was flung open, revealing Grandma Ida, her snow white (almost as white as the ghost boy's hair that "haunted" Amity Park) hair falling to her shoulders, massive glasses that consumed most of her face, wrinkles that were mostly from smiling other than old age, and a purple jumpsuit as she sat on her motor-scooter.

"Yes, Gr--" Grandma Ida zoomed in on her electronic scooter, narrowing her eyes at me behind her large framed glasses. I broke off as she bent down to pick up the hem of mys dress.

"Grandma Ida!" I scoffed, pulling the pink fluff ball out of her hands and allowing it to drop to the floor. For a brief moment I thought that she was going to scold me about my footwear. She _had_ to have seen the combat boots. She wasn't _that_ blind.

But she just smirked at me, her eyes twinkling with amusement. She _did _notice...

"You ought'a get your hiney in gear," She commented with her raspy voice, jabbing her thumb to the direction of the door. "The ceremony starts in a few minutes." I bit my lip and peered down at the woman that I had always thought knew me better than I knew myself, though we _were_ a lot a like. Both non-conformists, both had (or having, in my case) a wild streak burning through our soul during the teenage years.

I nodded and adjusted the dress around my hips. Grandma Ida snickered though said nothing once more and led the way out of the dressing room.

The corridor of the church was lined with flowers of every kind. I glanced at them, disgusted at Pam's decorating ideas. A bright pink flower fell in front of my face. I shoved it out of my way,continuing on with Grandma Ida's scooter whirred beside me as I hurried my slow pace to a fast walk.

I sighed in relief as the archway before the aisle came into view. Grandma Ida slowed down and winked at me before zooming down the aisle to find a seat beside my Aunt Freesia, a full lipped, bleached blond, incredibly slender woman with a constant pinched expression. Her ego was so large it could be dubbed a planet.

I realized I had been peeking out the open doors when a harsh tug on my shoulder erupted my thoughts. I was swung around, my elbow bumping into the wall to face my mother.

I gasped. It was hard not to. Pam looked so...unlike herself. Her normally shocking orange hair looked stunning under the pearl white veil. Her dress, even larger than _mine_ was, much to my dismay, beautiful. Like Maddie, all of the curves that she had were treated nicely in the dress.

Her thin, tube-like arms were embraced by the same fabric of gloves that I and the other bridesmaids had to wear, those hers were white. With the applied make-up that she wore not even on _dates_, Pam looked absolutely breath-taking.

I had seen her in this before, but now, with all of the accessories in tact, she was gorgeous. I felt self-pity swarm over me. Though I would never be caught wearing Pam's wedding gown, I still couldn't help but envy her beauty. Here I was, in a three-sizes-too-big dress, making my face look small and skin tone too pale, while Pam looked amazingly beautiful in her perfectly fitting dress that seemed to be made just for her.

"Sammykins," Pam said, her eyes filling up with tears as she embraced me in a gut-wrenching hug. I felt my stomach drop. She was going to begin sobbing, I could feel it. I didn't want to have her watery mascara marks to scrub off of my shoulder later on tonight.

"Mom," I said, my voice strained. "You've—don--done this before!" Pam released her grip on me and smiled, tears so close to spilling over the edge of her eyes.

"I know," She whispered, tracing circles on my exposed arm. "But...this time it's different. This time I'm in love!" I stared at her with a blank expression. Shouldn't you get married when you're in love no matter what? It was normal for a bride to be apprehensive about her second wedding, I wasn't forgetting that. Maybe she was just lying to cover up the fact about her sudden nerves.

"It'll be okay, Mom," I assured her. "I promise."

* * *

The preacher's speech was long. I hadn't gone to a wedding before, and I wasn't prepared to stand for such a long amount of time, being forced to act as if I were intently listening and slightly interested. 

Despite my best efforts, I found my eyes drifting to Danny, sitting on the bride's side of the room. I wasn't sure if he had been bored as I was and found himself looking off into another direction aside from the bride and groom. He never did fix his messy tie, though it, of course, made him look even more...beautiful. I allowed the thought to enter the front of my mind, now that I had said it aloud.

He glanced over to me, cheeks burning as he grinned. I grinned back, looking over to Pam and her fiancée. Perhaps things would be better this way. I would now have a full-time dad, Pam wouldn't leave suddenly for dates, there would be more than two place settings at the table...

Of course I was still slightly irritated that Pam had rushed into marriage. Maybe she was afraid of losing the "love of her life" as she so bluntly put it.

Though, as I looked at Danny, we had never actually discussed anything about how we felt before we ended up kissing. I glanced to Pam, her eyes filled with joy, and then to Danny, whose eyes had such a similar gleam that it slightly frightened me. I suppose that true love didn't depend upon time.

"Pamela Elizabeth Manson," The preacher said, snapping me out of my inner thoughts. "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Pam seemed to enjoy the crowd's anxiety, for she hesitated before speaking.

"I do."

"And Jeremy Matthew erm..." The preacher paused, raising an eyebrow. "Manson. Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"Then, by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Applause screeched throughout the room, many attendants raising to their feet as they witnessed Pam and Jeremy exchange their first kiss as husband and wife.

I clapped, too, grinning such a broad grin that my face was in immense pain. Pam was finally married. And this time, it looked as if she wouldn't fear commitment. It seemed to me that she would stay this way.

I watched as Maddie Fenton, Pam's Maid Of Honor, had tears streaming down her face. Her husband, Jack, who was sitting beside Danny, gave me a thumbs up sign. I laughed at his enthusiasm.

Jack and Pam's break up hadn't been as bad as I had thought it would be. Pam seemed to take it more harshly than he did, actually. She had forbid me to see Danny, afraid that Jack may come into her life again. That didn't stop Maddie, her best friend, from marrying him, however. Their college embers had never been extinguished.

During the reception, Danny had to force his way out of the dancing crowd to get to me. I had been leaning against the wall, cherishing the blackmail that seemed to never end.

"Hey, Sam," Danny said, a lopsided grin on his face. My cheeks burned as I stood upright.

"Hey," I said, eying an enthusiastic Pam as she threw her head back during the conga line. She wouldn't see me talking to Danny right now.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked me, grabbing my hand without an answer. I looked at him blankly before he grinned and tugged me out of the reception hall.

* * *

Danny led me out into the moonlit lawn that belonged to the church. My dress flowed in the wind as did my hair. Danny had now undone his tie (if you could consider it 'done' in the first place) and the cuffs, making him look even _more_ lovely than before. He belonged on the movie screen rather than beside me in this luminous, empty lawn. 

"What is it?" I whispered, though why I was unsure. No one would have heard us; or seen us for that matter. Danny smiled a crooked smile that actually touched his eyes this time. I heard my heart beating in my ears, along with the pounding of my blood. He never released my hand, nor did I.

"Sam--" He began, but cut off. A blue puff of what looked like _smoke_ flew out of his mouth. He dropped my hand and turned around, peering up at the sky.

"Danny?" I asked, confused. I watched as his hands clenched into fists.

"Skulker," He muttered under his breath. I furrowed my brow.

"Who?" I asked thickly. The name stroke me as familiar, though I couldn't put my finger on it.

Though Danny didn't have to answer. A heavy suited ghost appeared in front of Danny and me. Danny grabbed my forearm and pushed me behind him as Skulker lowered himself onto the ground. I felt my mouth opening slightly about to gape at the ghost. That was the ghost that attacked Casper High so many weeks ago!

Skulker frowned at my presence before turning to Danny.

"I came to congratulate you," He said, though his voice was heavy with sarcasm.

"Congratulate me?" Danny asked slyly, his grip on my arm tightening so hard that, even in the dim moonlight, I could see a faint white line around his hand. I winced. "For what?"

"Foiling my plan."

The visions of Casper High, of me ducking underneath a desk as Danny fought Skulker before we were both nearly killed by the grenade he threw at us swarmed through my mind. Skulker had come to Amity Park to complete a 'mission' he said. What mission could that have possible been? I couldn't remember Skulker attacking Amity Park between then and now, so Danny couldn't have _possibly _thwarted Skulker's evil plan.

"What...plan?" Danny asked Skulker. His tone was angry and annoyed, and I could be sure that, if I had seen his expression, his eyes would be glowing green if not already so.

Skulker chuckled once, raising his arm in the air. For a moment I thought that he was going to shoot an ectoplasmic ray at Danny, but instead what looked like a gun came into formation, a sneer upon Skulker's face.

Danny released his grip on me and shoved me aside. I landed into a hard mound of grass before a blinding blue light appeared. I turned my head, gaping in awe as Danny Phantom appeared in Danny Fenton's spot, a menacing glare on his face.

Skulker smirked at Danny and blasted the ray at him, causing Danny to ram into a nearby tree. I clamped my hand over my lips to prevent myself from yelling, though a muffled scream escaped my mouth.

I watched in horror as Danny winced at the pain, his eyes clenched shut. For a moment I thought that he wouldn't open them as he slid down to the ground, but, as always, he baffled me by standing right back up and heading to Skulker, eyes now glowing with fierce rage.

"What do you want?" He hollered, voice echoing through the lawn. I peered at the door, hoping that someone would come out to see the scene. Maybe it would scare Skulker off.

"To consume your rage and pity, of course," Skulker spat before Danny shot his own green ecto-ray to him. I felt a light smile dance lively across my face at Danny's small victory.

"What're you talking about?" Danny asked, hovering in the air. Skulker laughed a hard, bitter laugh.

I was still sprawled on the ground, once again petrified with the consistent fear of being within twenty yards of a ghost. Danny occasionally glanced my way, making sure that I wasn't injured.

Skulker examined Danny for a moment. His bright eyes grew larger as he noticed Danny's lack of comprehension.

"You don't know?" He asked. Danny shook his head weakly. "Fool..." Danny glared at Skulker, though did nothing.

"_I'm_ the one that set up your father with her mother," Skulker explained with an angry expression.

I gaped at him. _He _was the one who had tried to intervene with mine and Danny's relationship? _He_ was the reason that Pam had decided to date Jack? I blinked as I absorbed all of this, both angry and relieved at what a foolish (yet cooperative) plot it was.

"Wha--" Danny said, sinking to the ground. I couldn't help but notice that he took a small step toward me. Accidental or not...

Skulker sneered at Danny.

"Why would you do that?" Danny demanded, his voice growing shaky and soft.

"You're much more of a--" Skulker paused. "Challenge to hunt you when you're filled with anger and sorrow. Much more harder to get to you." Danny made a growling noise with his throat as he backed up, now just inches from me.

Danny's hands flew to his side before he groaned in exasperation.

"I forgot the Fenton Thermos!" He sighed. I bit my lip. The Fenton Thermos was a device that would suck ghosts inside of, giving them a temporary home until they were released back into the Ghost Zone. Danny never left his home without it, though carrying the Fenton Thermos to a wedding might be too tacky...

Skulker chuckled in amusement at Danny's lack of weaponry.

"Until next time, Ghost Boy." Skulker smirked at Danny before flying away into the distance.

We stood there in silence for a while. It seemed like an eternity until Danny turned around to face me, his face pinched with disdain.

"What's wrong?" I asked the green-eyed beauty, forcing a smile. He hadn't defeated Skulker, but at least, for right now, everything was alright...

"It's my fault that--" I placed a finger to his lips, my forced happy expression morphing into shock.

"It isn't your fault Skulker can never be happy," I pointed out. Against my finger, Danny smiled that crooked smile. _My_ crooked smile. My hand fell to my side, and for a moment I forgot how to breathe.

"Sam," Danny said in a familiar tone. It was low and obstinate. The alley scene replayed through my head.

"Danny," I said, lightening the mood.

He chuckled.

"What would you do," He said, leaning in, lightly touching his lips onto mine. "If I kissed you?"

**((Author's Note: The...end. THE END! HOW I'VE LONGED TO WRITE THAT! -faints- Eleven chapters. Well...ten if epilogues don't count...but nonetheless...w00t! **

**Okay, this was so short and rushed, but I've got school starting soon, and that means comparing schedules and getting those stinking books that I will never read. **

**Estimated time upon writing this weird story:...hmm. Let's see. I think it takes about five hours for each chapter. Half an hour for planning in my head, ten for writing it down, another ten for getting new ideas as I write it down. Writing out the scenes I want to be finished first takes about...an hour for each. Then pulling them all together maybe thirty minutes. And then, of course, the one hour editing. **

**And yet there are still typos. How pathetic...**

**So...I spend five or more hours on each chapter. Estimated time: 55 hours. Fifty...five...hours. THIS BOOK WAS FINISHED IN FIFTY-FIVE HOURS! -faints- **

**You'd think that I would set aside five hours of my time each day just for this story. I did, one day, but then that grew tiresome. Well, that and the fact that I'm thirteen so I DO have a social life. **

**Beyond that useless point...I just want to say thank you SO much to the readers of this story. And that whenever my close relative person died, this story honestly was the thing that kept me from mourning. I really wanna say thanks SO much to you all. I told myself I won't get corny since I did that in the last chapter, but I'm going to anyway.**

**Now when I go back to school and have to write an essay about what I did over the summer I can easily say: "I wrote a fan fiction that kept me cooped up in my room the entire summer the end." **

**-snort- **

**Anyways...before this A/N gets out of hand...**

**Aside from you I want to thank Blue October for the song _Calling You_ that I have listened to 312 times and Alexz Johnson for her song _It Could Be You _that I have listened to a total of...552 times while writing this. -faints- **

**As of right now (okay well by the time you're reading this yesterday), today on August erm...fifth, two thousand and six..._If We Kiss _was finished some time around eleven. So I shall put this last installment thing up, and this story is now COMPLETE!**

**FS))**


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